Cape and Islands State Senator Julian Cyr.
HYANNIS – Cape Cod Reopening Task Force members are urging vigilance as positive cases of COVID-19 increase across the state.
“I think it’s clear that we are seeing community spread of COVID-19 in our communities here on Cape Cod,” said Cape and Islands State Senator and task force member Julian Cyr (D-Truro).
Cyr stressed the importance of washing hands, wearing masks, socially distancing, and those experiencing symptoms isolating themselves if the community is to keep outbreaks contained.
“We’re in a very dangerous phase as I’ve said before. What we do now is going to determine how dark of a winter this is going to be on Cape Cod.”
Cyr also said that testing rates on Cape Cod are lower when compared to other parts of the state, which he said makes outbreaks difficult to track and control.
Most molecular testing on Cape, said Cyr, is being done in Bourne and Falmouth, though the Cape at large is still behind other communities in Massachusetts.
Sean O’Brien, Director of the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment, echoed Cyr’s statements.
“We are moving into a time now when we are seeing community spread. We’re looking at this and we’re seeing our numbers increase. This is what we’ve been watching for over the last few months, there was a lot of discussion about seeing things increase again as we get into the fall,” said O’Brien.
O’Brien said that case numbers are increasing noticeably in younger 0 to 18 and 19 to 29 populations compared to older demographics.
Deputy Director of the Barnstable County Department of Human Services Vaira Harik advised residents to maintain physical distance from others even at religious or family gatherings in order to keep transmissions down.
She also reminded residents to wear masks over both the nose and mouth, as this is the proper way to minimize transmission of the coronavirus.
Wendy Northcross, Chief Executive Officer of the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce, said that though residents may be becoming fatigued with ongoing coronavirus safety guidelines, the community must not relax its diligence.
“I know it gets old, and people are getting very weary of that, but this time of year is kind of working against us. Going back inside is going to work against us a little bit unless we do this smart,” said Northcross.
She said that if the community follows safety guidelines, it can possibly avoid further restrictions or economic impacts from shutdowns or closures.
Cyr said that the task force will continue to work on ways to bring more testing resources to the Cape and Islands in the coming weeks as winter approaches.
About Grady Culhane
