Town Of Bedford Publishes Coronavirus Update For August 20

Press release from the Town of Bedford:

August 20, 2020

The Bedford COVID-19 Task Force met Thursday, August 20, 2020 to review the latest guidance from the Department of Public Health, 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 20, 2020, the COVID-19 Task Force is converting to an updated case count reporting format and will utilize the following dashboard to report COVID-19 related data for Bedford. This dashboard will be updated weekly on Thursdays with information provided by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MA DPH), which can be found here: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/community-level-covid-19-data-reporting

The MA DPH is now reporting COVID-19 data on a community level. Based on this data, each city or town will be designated a color – white, green, yellow or red. White and green are lower risk communities, yellow represents a moderate risk community and red represents a higher risk community. As of today, August 20, 2020, Bedford has been designated as a white, lower risk community. In the coming weeks, this data will be updated by the state on a weekly basis. For the current color-coded risk map, please navigate to: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/community-level-covid-19-data-reporting

The total case number presented in the dashboard 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. Positive cases in any segment of our population affect the overall town-wide case counts and the assigned risk category due to the consideration that staff and, in some cases, folks residing at these facilities have the opportunity to come and go, visit Bedford businesses, attend camp and school and utilize our parks and open spaces. This relative risk designation is a tool that can be used by the Town to set policy and implement safety protocols for the protection of the community.

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; and,
• 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.

For exemptions and additional information please navigate to: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-travel-order

Mental Health and Social Service Resources

During this time of purposeful separation from loved ones, friends and neighbors to keep each other safe, feelings of isolation, anxiety and depression may set in or perpetuate. Bedford’s Social Work services remain available to all Bedford residents and the town Social Workers are available via phone.

If you are a resident who is 60 or older please contact Social Worker Danika Castle in the Council on Aging at 781-275-6825 or visit the COA website: https://www.bedfordma.gov/council-on-aging

If you are a resident under the age of 60 you can contact Social Worker Christopher Bang in the Youth and Family Services Department at 781-918-4328 or visit the YFS website at: https://www.bedfordma.gov/youth-family

Need a COVID-19 test? – Free Testing extended to September 12th

Free testing sites are available in many communities across the Commonwealth. Testing at these sites is available regardless of symptom state. Visit www.mass.gov/stopthespread to find out more.

If you need testing closer to home or beyond September 12th, 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.

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
• Frequently clean and sanitize common-touch surfaces

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.