Revere Ramps Ups Enforcement Of COVID-19 Restrictions

Employees at Banana Boat, an ice cream stand in Revere Beach, Mass. wear masks and gloves as they prepare customer orders. As a precaution against the spread of the novel coronavis, the state required the restauarant to shift from window service to curbside service only.

August 21, 2020

Revere Mayor Brian Arrigo is wratcheting up enforcement to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus in his city after the latest figures show it has among the highest positive test rates in the Commonwealth, behind Chelsea and Lynn.

The city is ramping up education and enforcement efforts that includes closing parks, playgrounds and basketball courts to crackdown on large gatherings and force compliance, Arrigo told WGBH News.

“We're now in our fourth consecutive week with a positive test rate that's more than three times the state's average,” Arrigo said Friday. “Obviously, knowing that, we have to try some new things to get people's attention.”

Earlier this month, as the COVID-19 infections ticked up in Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker halted his reopening plan to get the spread of the disease under control. His administration has also unveiled a color coded map to help pinpoint where the virus still needs to be contained. Revere, along with a handful of other cities including Lynn and Lawrence, has been identified as higher risk communities.

The latest figures from State Department of Public Health figures show Revere with 18.9 percent incident rate per 100,000.

Arrigo said neighborhood ambassadors will distribute masks and members of the enforcement team will issue fines of up to $490 for each violation for large gatherings. Those cited will have an opportunity to have their first fine dismissed so long as they don’t get another violation for a period of one month.

“We've had 94 people pass away [in Revere alone] from this virus,” Arrigo said to explain why the city is cracking down.

The mayor said he knows of hundreds more people severely impacted by the virus and that it's frustrating to see people act as if the COVID-19 pandemic is over.

Arrigo said the city closed the basketball courts at the Harry Della Russo Stadium on Park Ave, but that other parks will need to be shuttered if people don’t wear masks and limit large gatherings.

“We’re not seeing the level of compliance that we would have liked,” he added.