Bedford Town Publishes Coronavirus Update For July 16

Press release from the Town of Bedford:

July 16, 2020

The Bedford COVID-19 Task Force met Thursday, July 16, 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

Jon Sills, Superintendent of Schools

Heidi Porter, Director of Health and Human Services

Robert Bongiorno, Police Chief

David Grunes, Fire Chief

Taissir Alani, Facilities Director

Case Counts

As it periodically does, over the past two weeks the Bedford Board of Health conducted a comprehensive review of COVID-19 positive cases and the case count as reported to the town by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH). Upon investigation of these cases, the review revealed duplicate cases, cases that belong to other jurisdictions, and cases reported to other jurisdictions that are actually Bedford residents, which has lead to adjustments in the Bedford case count reported today. The data reporting discrepancies typically result from incomplete information provided by the resident at the time of testing. As more information is obtained by the Board of Health relative to ongoing case investigation, the total case count will be adjusted and reported accordingly. The Board of Health has gone through this “data cleaning” process on at least two (2) previous occasions and we will continue to request MA DPH clarification in the future to ensure proper case follow-up and contact tracing of our COVID-19 positive residents.

As of today, July 16, 2020, there have been a total of two hundred seventy-two (272) positive cases of COVID-19 reported to the Town of Bedford Board of Health by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH), of those, one hundred fifty (150) are Bedford residents not living in a healthcare/long term care setting. The deaths of forty-two (42) 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 any and all 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-eight (228) 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 Board of Health 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 Board of Health.

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

“Stop the Spread” Testing Sites Open in 8 Communities

In case you missed the news, free COVID-19 testing sites are open in eight communities as part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s “Stop the Spread” initiative. These sites will remain open until August 14th to help stop the spread of COVID-19 in communities that are above the state average in total cases and positive test rate, and have experienced a decline in testing levels since April. Residents of the communities of Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Marlborough, and New Bedford are urged to take advantage of the availability of these new testing sites, even if they are asymptomatic. While these sites were launched in these communities, they are open to all residents of the Commonwealth. Visit www.mass.gov/stopthespread to find out more.

Allowed Youth and Adult Amateur Sports Activities in Phase III, Step 1 of the Reopening Plan

While Lower Risk (i.e. tennis, pickleball, swimming, catch, disc golf, golf, individual biking,) and Moderate Risk (i.e. baseball, softball, track and field, cross country, running clubs, team swimming, volleyball, dance class, fencing, field hockey, no-contact lacrosse) sports and recreation programs and teams are now permitted to engage in competitive practices and competitions in Phase III, Step 1, organizers and participants are reminded of the following standards for safe engagement:

• No more than 25 players on any surface/playing areas for team/group sports.
• No more than 100 people including participants, players, coaches, volunteers, spectators in the aggregate in, on, or surrounding any surface/playing area or start/finish lines at any one time, provided that there is adequate space for all participants, players, coaches, volunteers and spectators to maintain at least six feet social distancing, recognizing that for some moderate risk sports intermittent contact may occur for players.
• Spectators must wear facial coverings and maintain six feet of social distance at all times. For competitions and tournaments in the water, the aforementioned limitation applies to any applicable activities on land.
• No spectators allowed for sports and activities played by individuals 18 years and older.

Please use the following link, to navigate to the full Phase III, Step 1 Guidelines and Standards issued by the MA Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs - https://www.mass.gov/doc/safety-standards-for-youth-and-adult-amateur-sp....

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.