Hamilton Boards Vote to Close All Parks and Fields Amid COVID-19 Surge

HAMILTON -- March 30, 2020, Hamilton's Board of Selectmen and Board of Health voted unanimously to close all parks, fields, playgrounds, and courts in town effective Thursday at noon amid sharply rising COVID-19 case counts in Essex County. Board of Health Chair David Smith convened the joint remote session, where Public Health Nurse Chris Lee reported two confirmed Hamilton cases and three contacts under monitoring, with her workload running 40 to 50 hours per week. The Board of Health, voting three to zero, separately adopted a fine schedule under Massachusetts General Laws Chapter 111, Section 122, a written warning on first offense, $100 for a second, and $500 for a third, and explicitly authorized the Hamilton Police Department to enforce the order. Board of Health member Dr. Giselle Perez warned that masks do not eliminate aerosol transmission risk and that asymptomatic spread remains a serious concern. Town counsel advised the boards that similar orders in Salisbury and Swampscott had been used primarily as messaging tools, with fines of up to $1,000 possible, but that Hamilton's tiered approach was designed to ensure uniform enforcement. Smith and Chris Small reported Hamilton had received $5,000 in state COVID-19 funding with a second $5,000 round expected, and the town was directed by the state Division of Local Services to begin tracking all pandemic-related expenses for reimbursement.