City of Cambridge Issues Temporary Emergency Restrictions on City Public Meetings, City Events, and City Permitted Events

March 17, 2020 Update: Cambridge issues COVID-19 Updated Events and Meetings Policy. Read Policy.  

(March 12, 2020) Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and City Manager Louis A. DePasquale announced today that effective Friday, March 13 through April 30, 2020, all non-essential public meetings of the City of Cambridge are cancelled. All meetings of the City’s public bodies, boards and commissions that are governed by the state Open Meeting Law and transact official City business or approve permits, licenses or other approvals pursuant to federal, state or local laws that are scheduled to be held or are legally required to be held will continue to meet and be open to the public in accordance with the requirements of the Open Meeting Law.  All City-sponsored community events, athletic events, events permitted for the use of City parks or other City-sponsored public gatherings will be cancelled or postponed to a later date. Finally, no approvals for events or gatherings requiring a permit from the City of Cambridge’s Special Events Committee will be approved, and all prior approvals for such events have been revoked. Members of the public can view the full policy on the city’s website.

“The health and well-being of our City and its residents is our top priority during this rapidly-evolving public health crisis. We are working around the clock with partners on the local and state level to control exposure, and mitigate harm.  An event as unprecedented as this will test us all. I'm confident we will rise to the occasion, as our community has done before in difficult times. We ask that all residents do their part: be vigilant with hygiene, stay home if you are sick, and look out for each other, especially those most susceptible to becoming ill. We will continue to share updates as information becomes available,” said Cambridge Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui.

“The City has been closely monitoring and actively coordinating efforts related to the City’s COVID-19 response with the Mayor, the City’s Public Health Commissioner and Chief Public Health Officer, public safety departments, school department, and other relevant departments to ensure that critical services will continue to be delivered to the public. I recognize that this rapidly evolving situation is extremely stressful and members of our community are anxious about potential impacts from COVID-19. I want to ensure the community that the City of Cambridge will continue to respond in a measured and coordinated manner, and we are positioned to rapidly and flexibly respond to the community’s needs as they arise,” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale.

The City of Cambridge is working closing with regional municipal partners and state agencies on sharing information and coordinating community responses. Members of the Cambridge community are urged to check for updates or sign-up for alerts at www.Cambridgema.gov/COVID19.