Bedford Town Publishes Coronavirus Update For August 3

Press release from the Town of Bedford:

August 3, 2020

The Bedford COVID-19 Task Force met Monday, August 3, 2020 to review the latest guidance from the Department of Public Health (DPH), the office of Governor Charlie Baker, and Town Legal Counsel.

The COVID-19 Task Force is comprised of the following Town officials:

Sarah Stanton, Town Manager

Philip Conrad, Superintendent of Schools

Heidi Porter, Director of Health and Human Services

Robert Bongiorno, Police Chief

David Grunes, Fire Chief

Taissir Alani, Facilities Director

Christopher Laskey, Code Enforcement Director

Case Counts

As of today, August 3, 2020, there have been a total of two hundred seventy-two (272) positive cases of COVID-19 reported to the BOH by the MA DPH, of those, one hundred fifty-nine (159) are Bedford residents not living in a healthcare/long term care setting. The deaths of forty-six (46) Bedford residents have been attributed to COVID-19. The total case number includes residents of the Town of Bedford, including but not limited to those in: single-family homes, apartments, the VA campus, Hanscom Air Force Base, special needs group homes and other larger assisted living/care facilities in Bedford as reported to us by the MA DPH.

As you may be aware, long-term care facilities serving the elderly and congregate care facilities, house susceptible populations with underlying conditions who are particularly vulnerable to COVID-19. Increased testing occurs at these facilities and results in more positive cases being identified. As such, cities and towns with these facilities, like Bedford, experience elevated positive case counts and, unfortunately, deaths due to the vulnerability to COVID-19 of the populations within those facilities.

Two hundred twenty (220) of the total Bedford cases have already recovered and have come off isolation and there may other Bedford residents who would be considered persons under investigation in that they are symptomatic, have undergone testing but have not yet received results. There are other individuals impacted by COVID-19 in the community that have not sought medical attention, and/or have not been tested and are isolating at home regardless. Those individuals do not appear on the surveillance reports the Town receives from the MA DPH.

The BOH continues to do the appropriate follow-up and outreach to those residents and close contacts known to us and the VA is conducting follow-up and contact tracing of the Veteran’s under their care. Many of the identified close contacts of some of the Bedford cases never exhibited symptoms, have completed their required quarantine period and have been released from quarantine by the BOH.

Please note, in part to alleviate the community concern, the VA does do a daily report of their numbers, which includes inpatients, outpatients and staff, many of whom do not call Bedford home. The information can be found here: https://www.accesstocare.va.gov/Healthcare/COVID19NationalSummary

COVID-19 Travel Order

As of Saturday, August 1, 2020, all visitors and returning residents entering Massachusetts must follow new travel orders to help us keep COVID-19 transmission levels as low as possible. All visitors entering Massachusetts, including returning residents, who do not meet an exemption, are required to:

Prior to arrival in Massachusetts, complete the online Travel Form (https://www.mass.gov/forms/massachusetts-travel-form), unless you are visiting from a lower-risk state designated by the MA DPH.

Quarantine for 14 days or produce a negative COVID-19 test result that has been administered up to 72-hours prior to your arrival in Massachusetts.

If your COVID-19 test result has not been received prior to arrival, visitors, and residents must quarantine until they receive a negative test result.

MA DPH has indicated that failure to comply with the order may result in a $500 fine per day.

To find more information about the Travel Order, including the list of lower-risk states, exemptions, business guidance and other details, please visit: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order

Need a COVID-19 test?

Free COVID-19 testing sites are open in seventeen communities as part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s “Stop the Spread” initiative. Testing sites in the following communities are free to all residents of the Commonwealth regardless of symptom state and will remain open until August 14th to help stop the spread of COVID-19: Agawam, Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Framingham, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Marlborough, Methuen, New Bedford, Randolph, Revere, Springfield, Taunton, and Worcester. Visit www.mass.gov/stopthespread to find out more.

If you need testing closer to home or beyond August 14th, consider navigating to https://memamaps.maps.arcgis.com/apps/webappviewer/index.html?id=eba3f0395451430b9f631cb095febf13 to find a testing site. Check with your insurance company for covered services prior to booking an appointment for testing.

Bedford Food Bank – Now at the Town Center Building

Starting this Thursday, August 6th from 4- 5:30 pm, the Bedford Food Bank will be operated out of the Town Center Building (yellow building behind Town Hall) at 12 Mudge Way, situated on the Town Campus. The drive-through model previously will be maintained with residents pulling up to the front door of Town Center via the rotary. Signs directing residents to the location will be posted. The process for bag pick up will essentially be the same with cars pulling up to the door and a volunteer placing the bag in the car trunk, back cargo area or back seat. Residents do not get out of their vehicle. The new schedule for the Town Center Food Bank will be Thursdays from 4 - 5:30 pm, with the first event this Thursday, August 6th from 4 – 5:30 pm.

Families and guardians of Bedford school children are welcome to continue to access Bedford's Food Bank. Starting in August, the intention is to provide one robust bag of food per household in need, but separate bags will no longer be customized for school students. For nutritious meals adhering to school nutrition guidelines, the summer nutrition program is Waltham is also available to Bedford families. Please navigate to https://meals4kids.org/find-summer-meal-site for hours and directions, as well as information about other summer feeding programs for school children in the area.

The Town Center Food Bank will continue to operate primarily on a drive-through basis, with limited exception for residents who are on foot. Those utilizing the Food Bank cannot park their car and walk up to the site. Residents should enter the Town Center rotary from Mudge Way and will be directed in reverse around the rotary. The separate Food Bank delivery system will continue to operate for homebound seniors, and disabled residents. If you are a homebound resident and in need of food assistance, please e-mail [email protected].

Thank you to the Bedford Food Pantry, Gaining Grounds in Concord, the Greater Boston Food Bank and donors to the Bedford Emergency Relief Fund for the continued support of this well needed effort which serves upwards of 150 families each week during this crisis.

Common Sense Actions to Protect Yourself and Others from COVID-19

• Employ Social Distancing Basics:
• Stay Home, especially if you’re feeling sick, have a fever, or a cough as to avoid contact with other individuals. If you are sick, stay at home and contact your healthcare provider for further instructions.
• Call/Facetime/Online chat with friends and loved ones

If you go out for essential needs:

• Avoid Crowds
• Stay 6 feet away from others
• Don’t shake hands or hug
• Wear a face covering or mask if physical distancing is not possible. Always have a face covering with you. You cannot always predict or control when someone will be close to you.

This press release was produced by the Town of Bedford. The views expressed here are the author’s own.