Beginning Sunday, all residents and visitors to the city of Lynn must stay home between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., Mayor Thomas McGee ordered.

The mayor issued two executive orders on Saturday after consulting with the city council, department of public health and the city solicitor’s office.

The stay-at-home order does not apply to people providing or receiving COVID-19 essential services. Sick people are prohibited from leaving their homes unless they are going out to receive medical care.

“As the outbreak of COVID-19 through person to person transmission continues to significantly affect the way of life and health of our community here in Lynn, we must take additional steps to prepare for, respond to, and mitigate the spread to protect the health and welfare of all of us,” McGee said. “Therefore, I am issuing two Executive Orders to ensure that residents and businesses in Lynn act consistently with the imperative public health mandate. These orders will ensure that the entire community can achieve the maximum amount of social distancing, while continuing to provide and receive essential services, and ultimately slow the spread of COVID-19 to the maximum extent that we can.”

The mayor said taking the measures now will help people in the long run.

All non-essential gatherings of individuals of any size for any reason are prohibited. The orders also limit any concentration of individuals outside their home to workers providing essential services or individuals who are undertaking essential tasks.

The order does allow for outdoor activity but limited to activities that are non-contact or where people would come into close contact with other people.

McGee said the order also requires individuals to practice social distancing when in public and wear a cloth face covering, such as a fabric mask, scarf or bandana over their nose and mouth when entering any essential service business, in any communal spaces of a residential or commercial building complex, and when social distancing in public cannot be met.

The city said surgical masks, or N-95 respirators, are not recommended for members of the general public in an effort to preserve medical PPE for healthcare workers and first responders.

McGee ordered all essential services to limit the number of customers and staff inside establishments to 40% of existing occupancy permits.

“Employees are required to wear face coverings when interacting with the public or a coworker, businesses must enact a plan for the regular cleaning and sanitizing of high touch surfaces and must have visible floor markings or signage that establish proper social distance between customers waiting to enter the business or waiting to check out,” the order states.

There is a zero-tolerance policy for the gathering and loitering of customers within stores’ premises or outside of a store upon completion of sale.

No customers are allowed to enter restaurants, bars and similar establishments. Customers will be able to get services from those businesses via drive-thru windows, curbside pickup or delivery.

Another provision within the orders prohibits landlords or owners from enforcing an eviction upon a resident of Lynn. This includes residential tenants and commercial tenants.

Landlords and owners cannot access a tenant’s home for general inspections or to show the space to future tenants.

“A landlord may only access a tenant’s dwelling space to make repairs requested by the tenant, repairs required as a matter of law or to respond to a life-threatening emergency,” the mayor said.

The orders begin Sunday, April 12. Any violation will result in a suspension/revocation of any and all city of Lynn licenses and permits and fines of up to $1,000.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh urged people to stay at home between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. while he issued a set of stricter guidelines for the city last week. The public health advisory does not apply to essential workers.

The mayor also asked everyone, including essential workers, to wear masks while outside.

The stay-at-home advisory was enhanced to a recommended curfew in Boston.

Related Content: