Community Urged to Remain Vigilant as Town Maintains High Risk Designation
GROVELAND — The Groveland Board of Health wishes to provide the community with an update regarding contact tracing efforts in town.
Groveland hired a part-time employee to conduct contact tracing in November 2020 in response to a significant rise in cases. More recently, the Board of Health called an emergency meeting on Dec. 31, 2020 to vote to hire a second part-time employee. The emergency meeting was called in response to a six-day delay between the identification and notification of close contacts at that time.
That second employee began working this week. The town has also recently contacted a third person, trained and certified in contact tracing, who may be hired if the need continues to grow.
Until recently, the Town of Groveland has utilized the state’s Community Tracing Collaborative to assist with the notification of those identified as close contacts to an individual with an active, positive case of COVID-19. The town did not previously have adequate staffing to manage this workload without additional support, especially as cases continued to rise during the holiday season.
The Town of Groveland, like communities statewide, has seen a noteworthy uptick in positive cases of COVID-19 since late November 2020 and following the holiday season.
The Town currently has a “red” designation from the state, meaning there is a high risk of COVID-19 in the community.
According to the state’s most recent public health report, issued Thursday, Jan. 14, from Dec. 31-Jan. 12 there were 80 positive cases of COVID-19 in Groveland and 11.5% of all COVID-19 tests being taken in the community returning positive results. To view the report, click here.
As of Tuesday, there were 44 active cases of COVID-19 in Groveland.
Town officials are urging members of the public to take care to protect themselves, their loved ones and the greater community from the disease.
Residents are reminded to always take the following precautions to prevent further spread of COVID-19 in the community:
- Remember that an infected individual can spread COVID-19 before they have symptoms, which is why social distancing — maintaining a minimum of 6 feet from others — is critical.
- Those who must go out are urged to:
- Avoid gathering in groups
- Maintain 6 feet from people outside your household
- Do not shake hands or hug
- Wash your hands often
- Those who are at a high risk for COVID-19, including those over the age of 65 and with underlying health conditions, are advised to stay home and avoid non-essential tasks and errands
- Wear a mask in indoor and outdoor spaces at all times.
- Face coverings should:
- Cover the nose and mouth
- Fit snugly and comfortably against the side of the face
- Be secured with either ties or ear loops
- Permit breathing without difficulty
- Be able to be washed and machine dried without damage. Face masks should be washed regularly depending on the amount of use.
For more information about COVID-19 prevention and symptoms, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website here and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health website here.
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