Barnstable Town Manager Mark Ells
BARNSTABLE – With COVID-19 cases on the rise region-wide as new strains like the Delta variant spread, Town Manager Mark Ells said that Barnstable will defer to state guidance when it comes to public safety policies and mandates.
Ells said that the municipality has not experienced an uptick in cases as severe as other parts of the Cape, including Provincetown and Falmouth.
“We’re staying pretty level and still at relatively low levels, but certainly cause for us to keep a close eye on what’s occurring, especially this time of year when we’re very busy with our year-round, seasonal and our visitors coming to our community,” said Ells.
“I don’t expect that we’re going to move forward with any actions that are outside of what our governor provides us with, being his orders and directives. We followed through that through the prior sixteen months of managing COVID, and I expect that we will continue the same way.”
With September approaching, Ells said that parents and guardians will have to be mindful of what school systems may change due to COVID.
The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education is the primary decider for how schools across the state will respond to COVID and what policies will be in place when students return to the classroom, and Ells said that their mandates can vary from the town’s.
He also said that parents should check with individual colleges for safety policies, as well as other requirements related to health.
“Many of them are requiring information prior to returning to school, and each school will be different,” said Ells.
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