Coronavirus Rise Near Milford Means Remote Town Meeting

MILFORD, MA — The local resurgence of coronavirus cases means Milford Town Meeting will yet again be held remotely.

Town Moderator Michelangelo Bon Tempo in September asked the Board of Health for guidance on whether to hold the Oct. 25 special Town Meeting remotely or in person. The health board advised a remote version because there's not enough room in Town Hall to hold meeting members and the public while maintaining social distancing guidelines.

"[I]t was determined that based on the number of Town Meeting members and the general public who would like to attend, social distancing of 6 feet that the CDC requires would not be feasible in the upper level of town hall. Unlike a private party or function, we cannot limit the meeting size to comply with the required social distancing," the health board said in a Sept. 27 notice.

Worcester County had the fourth-highest rate of new daily cases per 100,000 people as of the state's last case count released Sept. 22. The county added just over 3,500 new cases over the two weeks before Sept. 22, according to the state.

The more contagious COVID-19 delta variant swept across Massachusetts this summer, driving cases up in every county. The state added over 1,500 new cases on Sunday alone, and more than 600 people are hospitalized across the state with COVID-19, according to the state Department of Public Health.