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Covid-19 Holyoke Report 4/8

Posted on April 8, 2020


COVID19 Report
Today Governor Baker announced that the new testing site at the Eastern State Fairground will open April 9th.
He also announced new civil protections in place for health care workers on the frontlines of Covid-19 care.
Massachusetts has implemented new restrictions on grocery stores including the following:
  • Each Grocery store shall limit occupancy to 40 percent of its maximum permitted occupancy level
  • Grocery store staff shall monitor the number of customers entering and exiting the store in order to demonstrate compliance
  • The occupant count shall include customers and employees.
  • Grocery stores may calculate and employ an average number for staff per shift in counting employees present in the retail selling space to account for incidental movement of employees in and out of retail selling space.
  • If lines form outside the grocery store, staff should monitor the line to ensure customers are maintaining appropriate distance from each other.
  • If lines form outside the grocery store or other physical security concerns arise, local law enforcement should be notified and consulted.
  • If a grocery store offers online delivery or curbside pickup capabilities, customers should be encouraged to use those methods before coming into the store.
  • Grocery stores should communicate with customers through in store signage and public service announcements. Where practical, retailers should designate one-way aisles in stores to maximize spacing between customers and should identify the one-way aisles with signage and floor markings.
The Holyoke Police Department is continuing a community wide collection of personal hygiene items and sanitizing products for our senior citizens. This week, the Holyoke Police Department will be accepting donations at The Holyoke Council on Aging and Senior Center located at 291 Pine Street. Donations can be dropped off at the Holyoke Senior Citizen Center from April 6th thru April 10th between the hours of 10am and 2pm. If you are a resident of Holyoke and you are not leaving your home, you can still donate by calling the Holyoke Police Department’s non emergency number of 322-6900. We will arrange for a pickup during those same hours.
Testing remains limited with a turnaround time of 4 – 8 days and many cases are being clinically diagnosed (no testing or reporting involved). All are advised to behave as though they are carriers of Covid-19.
201 Holyoke residents have been confirmed positive by testing.
1081 confirmed cases in Hampden County (8% increase)
164 in Hampshire (4% increase)
118 in Franklin (0% increase)
281 in Berkshire county (1% increase)
The curve we need to flatten: County numbers graphed over time can be found here: https://www.wmasscovid.com/
There have been 433 deaths connected to Covid-19 in Massachusetts.
* When recovery counts become available and reported by the state, we will include those as well.
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