Town Board Of Health To Revisit Mask Mandate Wednesday

Arlington MA

12 February, 2022

2:04 PM

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Your Arlington Last Updated: 12 February 2022 Written by Joan Roman, Bob Sprague, Patch, BostonGlobe.com UPDATED Feb. 12: Town officials are beginning to revisit masking policies as the state rolls back its own mandates, YourArlington partner Patch reports. Speaking to ACMi on Thursday, Feb. 10, Town Manager Adam Chapdelaine said the Board of Health will "likely consider" the indoor mask mandate for indoor public spaces at its meeting Wednesday, Feb. 16. The School Committee on Feb. 10 expressed caution about ending the mask mandate Feb. 28. Chapdelaine said: "We will look at it very closely, we'll look at what our neighbors are doing in surrounding communities, and look at both data, science and our comparable communities, and hopefully within the next week or two make a decision about where we'll stand." The question came amid the Feb. 9 announcement that the statewide mask order in schools will not be extended a fourth time. Gov. Charlie Baker and DESE Commissioner Jeffrey Riley cited high vaccination rates across the state, rapidly dropping coronavirus cases and hospitalizations from the winter omicron surge, and out of a desire to return to "the familiar and normal aspects of school life" nearly two years after the onset of the Covid-19 crisis. Meanwhile, get your free, at-home Covid tests from the federal government >> The Feb. 9 Arlington update shows 4,673 cases of Covid-19 in town, an increase of 698 since Jan. 10, the day that cases here appeared to peak. Deaths rose one on Feb. 8, to 101, 14 since May 2021. Since May 19, when cases rose to 1,868, until July 6, when the count was 1,875, Arlington has had its longest periods with few increases since the pandemic hit Arlington and YourArlington began reporting numbers almost daily, on March 6, 2020. Can't see the table below? Click here to view the original story. See the percentage of those vaccinated in Arlington (one dose and both shots): Data: Mass. Dept. of Public Health See daily counts going back to March 2020 here, under cumulative cases) >> See all numbers by clicking on View more tables >> Here's an explanation about how to read these numbers >> To see the age breakdown of cases reported through Jan. 14, click here and scroll down to the chart >> Accounting for some deaths The Boston Globe has reported that Ellen McDonald, a guardian to Norma Ricci, 92, said her friend's assisted-living residence, Sunrise of Arlington, told her April 1 that a nurse who worked on Ricci's floor had been infected. A week later, McDonald was told Ricci was rushed to Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, with no mention of coronavirus. The next day, Mount Auburn called to say Ricci had Covid-19. McDonald donned full protective garb to visit her friend on Easter. Ricci died April 15, according to a DeVito Funeral Home notice, which lacks an obituary. McDonald told the Globe that Sunrise nurses told her many residents were coughing and some staffers had stopped coming to work, without official word from management. In a statement, Sunrise Senior Living told The Globe that nine residents of its Arlington facility have died and 25 have tested positive. The statement said Sunrise has regularly updated residents and families by phone and e-mail. It quoted a regional vice president, Thomas Kessler, as saying, "Communication has always been a source of pride at Sunrise of Arlington." 10th local death identified Joyce Dodge, a resident of Sunrise Assisted Living, Arlington, before she was taken to Mount Auburn Hospital last Christmas, tested positive and died there Jan. 8, according to a member of the family. There is no obituary. 9th local death identified Among the Covid-19 deaths so far reported among town residents since early March, YourArlington has identified an ninth from obituaries. A listing at Boston.com shows Helen T. Metros died Dec. 12 from the virus in Pittsfield. 8th local death identified Among the Covid-19 deaths so far reported among town residents since early March, YourArlington has identified an eighth from obituaries. A listing at Boston.com shows Vincent A. Aliberti died July 12 from the virus. 6th, 7th local deaths identified Among the Covid-19 deaths so far reported among town residents, YourArlington has identified a sixth and seventh from obituaries. Listings at Boston.com show that Joan M. Mockel and Danile F. Morrison recently succumbed to the virus. 5th local death identified Among the 19 Covid-19 deaths so far reported among town residents, YourArlington has identified a fifth, Vincie Teresa DeRose (Militello), as reported by the Gloucester Times. The fourth was Alfred "Fred" Iannacone. YourArlington reported a third death, occurring April 14 at Sunrise Assisted Living. A source confirmed the virus victim was Theodore S. Wayne. Since the end of March, two others have died in town from coronavirus: A Globe death notice identifies the first as James K. Power on March 30. A second death here was reported March 31, without details. Town issues "Wear A Face Covering in Public" advisory; continue to heed state's stay-at-home advisory. Only run essential errands.In addition to the current Stay at Home advisory by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, starting immediately, the Town of Arlington is issuing a townwide advisory that all residents wear a face covering when in public. This advisory applies to anyone age 2 or older when in any public indoor or outdoor space. Indoor public spaces include stores and common areas in multi-unit homes. Outdoor areas include sidewalks, parks, trails, and the bike path. All persons including joggers and cyclists must comply. This ongoing town statement continues: "We continue to believe this number may provide a false sense of security to residents as numbers in the region and across the state increase at a rapid rate. Public health officials remind all residents, regardless of age, to stay at home and away from anyone who does not live in your house, including relatives. If you have to go out to conduct a necessary errand, like grocery shopping, picking up medication, or checking in on a neighbor who may need assistance, it is crucial you practice social distancing and keep 6 feet away from others." Pandemic Unemployment Assistance information: The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program is now accepting applications; this program provides up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of a Covid-19 related reason, but are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits. This includes the self-employed, independent contractors, workers with limited work history, and others. Individuals can review eligibility scenarios here and apply for PUA here. CDC recommends wearing cloth face coverings when in public: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) now recommends wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies). Wearing a cloth face covering is not a substitute for social distancing, but an extra measure while you are running essential errands to minimize the spread of the virus. The CDC provides instructions on how to make your own cloth face covering. For the national picture, see this U.S. map showing numbers from all counties >> The town is also accepting donations of cloth face coverings, to local seniors, as well as PPE equipment for first responders and healthcare professionals. List of businesses currently open in Arlington: The listings will be updated at least once daily. Please contact businesses directly before placing and order or going to their establishment to confirm that they are open, as the information on this list is subject to change. See the list here >> Additional resources for businesses and nonprofits may be found on the Business & Nonprofit Resourcepage. but should not comngregate in groups. Tracking Covid-19 via Johns Hopkins site January 2022: Town Covid trackingNovember through December: Town Covid tracking September through October: Town Covid trackingJune through August: Town Covid-19 trackingMay 1 through 31: Town Covid-19 trackingApril 1 through 30: Town Covid-19 trackingMarch 1 through 31: Town Covid-19 trackingFeb. 1 through 28: Town Covid-19 trackingDec. 1 through 30, 2020: Town Covid-19 trackingFeb. 28-March 6, 2020: Coronavirus risk remains low in town, health office says in 2nd update YourArlington.com has provided news and opinion about Arlington, Mass., since 2006. Publisher Bob Sprague is a former editor at The Boston Globe, Boston Herald and Arlington Advocate. Read more at https://www.yourarlington.com/about.