Town will begin COVID-19 testing some time in November
FAIRHAVEN – Perhaps it was inevitable that the town would join other surrounding municipalities in taking that backwards slide.
After three weeks of being deemed high-risk by the Department of Public Health (DPH) with a designation of red, Fairhaven will be descending back a step, beginning Monday, November 2, as part of the state’s reopening plan.
The news comes as result of the most recent COVID-19 Public Health Report released by the DPH on October 29. The findings in the report state that Fairhaven had 42 active cases appear in the last 14 days with the incident rate increasing to 18.7%. A total of 346 cases have appeared in the town since this pandemic started.
According to Board of Health member Geoff Haworth, a significant portion of those active cases are attributed to several assisted living facilities in town. The rest, Haworth sees, has to do with a combination of the town being located next to other high-risk communities, as well as the public longing for things to go back to normal.
“Many people in Fairhaven don’t stay in Fairhaven. Everyone goes everywhere for shopping, work, and appointments. You have this co-mingling. If other towns are in the red, then so will you,” said Haworth.
About the issue of Covid fatigue, Haworth added “People want to go out. The problem we’re having is people are getting lax because the orders have been in place for so long. People are reverting back to normal habits.”
Going back from Phase 3, Step 2 to Phase 3, Step 1, won’t see any dramatic change for the town or for most of the businesses currently operating.
Limits for outdoor gatherings will drop down to 50 people. Any indoor theaters or strictly performance venues will have to close down again. Gyms, museums, and libraries will drop back down from 50% capacity to 40% capacity.
Capacity limits for restaurants won’t change, though they still have to abide by requirements for social distancing and the spacing of tables. The only change will be added restrictions on live musical performances, meaning no singing and no wind or brass instrumentation.
Retail stores will remain open though fitting rooms will only be allowed if its operation is considered essential.
Haworth emphasized that the town has already spent a great deal of federal funds from the CARES Act keeping town-run buildings and operations safe and sanitary. This includes personal protective equipment for every department, plexiglass shields in every department office, hand sanitizer stations, and rigorous deep cleaning daily from maintenance staff.
Haworth, speaking on behalf of the entire Health Board, said he also believes continued education and communication with the restaurants and other businesses in town is the proper method for ensuring compliance with state regulations and for lowering risk of COVID spread.
“It seems like the restaurants are trying to be compliant. We don’t want to close up any of them. We want to keep them open and safe by giving them the tools to stay in compliance,” said he said.
The biggest measure to soon be implemented in Fairhaven some time in November will be COVID testing provided by the town.
According to Deputy Fire Chief Todd Correia, a large percentage of the Fire Department has already undergone training in order to offer the nasal swab test for Covid-19. Fifty thousand dollars has been allocated through CARES funding in order to finance the testing kits, training, and lab work.
Correia stated that the fire department wants to start testing “hot zones” and will work with the Health Department on determining these sites. An example would be an apartment or housing complex at risk with an outbreak. Correia said, “As we open up this service more, we will offer free-of-charge testing to any concerned residents.”
Haworth reminded the public that actions like more careful and less spontaneous shopping with fewer people involved would help.
“You don’t need to take the whole family out to Stop & Shop. We need to start thinking about changing actions to prevent us from staying in the red. We need to keep people vigilant and aware. These are basic things that would help stem the spread,” he said.
The Link LonkNovember 02, 2020 at 05:12PM
https://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20201102/fairhaven-grapples-with-joining-greater-new-bedford-in-red
Fairhaven grapples with joining Greater New Bedford in the red - SouthCoastToday.com
https://news.google.com/search?q=Red&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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