GROVELAND — The town recently hired a second contact tracer in response to rising COVID-19 infection rates in town, and is in talks with a third person, who might be hired if the need continues to grow.
In a press release Wednesday, the Board of Health said the first part-time employee to conduct contact tracing was hired in November in response to a significant rise in cases. The board called an emergency meeting Dec. 31 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.
The second employee began working this week, the board said in the release. 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 has used the state's Community Tracing Collaborative to assist with the notification of people identified as close contacts to someone with an active, positive case of COVID-19. The town did not previously have the staff to manage this workload without additional support, especially as cases continued to rise during the holiday.
The town is designated as a "red" community, meaning there is a high risk of COVID-19.
The state's latest public health report, issued Jan. 14, said from Dec. 31 to Jan. 12, there were 80 positive cases of COVID-19 in Groveland and 11.5% of all COVID-19 tests taken in the community returned positive results.
As of Tuesday, there were 44 active cases in Groveland.
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 having 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 and everyone is urged to wear a mask in indoor and outdoor spaces at all times.
January 21, 2021 at 04:58PM
https://ift.tt/3sLNLtG
Groveland hires second contact tracer as town remains in high-risk category - The Daily News of Newburyport
https://ift.tt/3bWFHgJ
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Groveland hires second contact tracer as town remains in high-risk category - The Daily News of Newburyport"
Post a Comment