12-21-21 emerg. meeting City of Beverly, Massachusetts
Public Meeting Minutes
Special Meeting of the Board of Health
Board: Board of Health
Subcommittee:
Date: December 21, 2021
Place: Teleconference Participation via Google Meet
Board members present: William J. Alpine Jr. Esq., Susan Higgins
Board Members Absent:
Others present: Mayor Michael Cahill, William Burke, Director of Public Health,
Bruce Doig, and Teresa Kirsch, Public Health Nurse
Recorder: Karen Alpine
Acting Chairman William Alpine called the meeting to order at 6:05 pm.
Mr. Burke spoke about meeting with other Public Health leaders to discuss the Omicron Covid
variant. The representative at that meeting from Lahey Health said that Omicron is 70% more
transmissible than previous variants. It now accounts for 65-70% of all cases and is projected to
be 90% soon. The meeting agenda was then turned over to the Mayor.
Mr. Cahill said other towns were meeting tomorrow in regard to mask mandates. The first agenda
item is of particular concern to him: preventing the spread of the virus by school age children in
programs outside of school and MIAA. His aim is to ensure that children stay safe and healthy
and able to attend school by mandating children wear masks in all indoor structured programs.
Ms. Higgins had some concerns. While she likes the idea of children wearing masks, she is
hesitant to mandate unless truly needed. She questioned what would be considered a program and
would the mandate apply to all in attendance, including parents, coaches, and referees. She
wondered how many programs it would impact and if other short term solutions would be
available.
At Ms. Higgins request, Teresa Kirsch relayed information gained from a call she had today with
Dr. Katie Chen from Brown University. Studies show that vaccines keep people from dying and
masks keep people from becoming infected. The Omicron peak will be soon, so mask rules are
needed soon.
The Mayor clarified that this would merely be an extension of State rules governing schools and
the MIAA for structured programs. Ms. Higgins motioned to accept the Mayor's
recommendation for Agenda Item I to mandate masks for school age children in indoor
structured group spaces that are open to the public. Mr. Alpine seconded the motion.
It was agreed the Mayor will ask the Solicitor's Office to draft an order for Board of Health
review. When it is approved, Director Burke is authorized to sign the mandate on the Board's
behalf for expediency.
Ms. Higgins motioned to adjourn at 7:00 pm, Mr. Alpine seconded the motion.
Respectfully submitted,
Karen Alpine