Town Of Bedford Publishes Coronavirus Update For August 24

Press release from the Town of Bedford:

August 24, 2020

The Bedford COVID-19 Task Force met Monday, August 24, 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

The MA DPH is now reporting COVID-19 data on a community level and releasing the data weekly on Wednesdays. 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. Based on data reported by the state through last Wednesday, August 19, 2020, Bedford is a white, lower risk community. In the coming weeks, this data continue 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 Bedford COVID-19 task force will update the Bedford COVID-19 data dashboard in the Thursday task force updates.

Influenza Vaccine Requirement

Last week, state public health officials announced that influenza immunization will be required for all children 6 months of age or older who are attending Massachusetts child care, pre-school, kindergarten, K-12, and colleges and universities. The new vaccine requirement is an important step to reduce flu-related illness and the overall impact of respiratory illness during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Students will be expected to have received a flu vaccine by December 31, 2020, for the 2020-2021 influenza season, unless either a medical or religious exemption is provided. Also exempted are K-12 students who are homeschooled and higher education students who are completely off-campus and engaged in remote learning only. This new flu immunization requirement to enter school in January is in addition to existing vaccine requirements for all those attending child care, preschool, K-12, and colleges and universities in Massachusetts. Elementary and secondary students in districts and schools that are using a remote education model are not exempt.

The Bedford Board of Health will be announcing scheduled flu clinics, via a drive-through model, in the coming days.

Need a COVID-19 test? – Free Testing expanded 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.