PUBLICK OCCURRENCES — June 5, 2020

Update June 5: 
As we gingerly move towards reopening our economy safely, news from the governor for historical organizations in his Executive Order dated June 1.
NOTE: All reopening rules include mandatory compliance with all general and sector-specific health and safety rules as issued by the governor. All enterprise, before opening, are subject to the three requirements outlined in in the detailed reopening plan and described in the two web pages linked below:
    • Covid-19 control plan,
    • Compliance attestation poster
    • Employer and worker posters
Detailed instructions: Safety standards  and Business Guidance

A) Offices can reopen once they comply with regulations

  • The first guidance is: work from home if you can, and afford people over 65 and those with underlying conditions or immunity issues first dabs at special consideration.
  • The detailed reopening plan allows for offices outside of Boston to be open as of May 25, and in Boston as of June 1. We interpret that to mean that people who work at historic organizations to go back to work in archives, offices, as soon after May 25th as they comply with the rules outlined above.
The question is, what is work with volunteers? Our interpretation is that, if we want to work with volunteer office-type staff (e.g. in the collections or archives), we need to comply with all the office/workplace requirements. However, there is to be no public as yet and we have to meet the conditions. Volunteer staff are people who are trained to do a task that a person would otherwise get paid for. 
 

B) Outdoor historical and recreational spaces may be prepared for reopening, but not open to the public until the Governor’s say-so — possibly on June 6

C) Summer Camps/Outdoor Education may prepare under strict guidelines.

D) Indoor Historic Spaces are in Phase III, dates tba

Some useful links:

WORK SAFELY AND AT SOCIAL DISTANCE.  PS: Let us know if you see any issues with this.