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Cape awaiting COVID-19 data on peak summer activity

Katie Lannan
State House News Service
Warm weather brought out the crowds to Falmouth Heights Beach earlier this month.

Cape Cod officials are "cautiously waiting" for public health data that will cover a period 14 days from the Fourth of July to see if activity over that holiday weekend affected the spread of COVID-19 across the popular tourist destination, Sen. Julian Cyr said Thursday.

On a conference call with other members of Cape Cod's reopening task force, Cyr said Massachusetts and Barnstable County have "done a really good job" of reducing the number of COVID-19 cases but need to be ready to respond to any uptick, if one occurs.

"I don't know if I would say it's an increase right now, but we are seeing several cases emerging in Harwich and also out of Provincetown that are tied to workers in our workforce, restaurant workers, folks in hospitality, so we need to monitor this closely," Cyr said.

The Department of Public Health's Wednesday afternoon report showed a total of 1,593 COVID-19 cases in Barnstable County, up slightly from the 1,563 logged a week ago. The report indicated one COVID-19 patient being treated at Cape Cod Hospital and three at Falmouth Hospital.

Cyr, a Truro Democrat, said he didn't have a definitive answer as to why Cape Cod and the state as a whole have done a better job of stemming the tide of new infections than some other states that are now experiencing spikes, but that several factors appear to be working in the region's favor. Among those, he said, are a "science-led reopening process" and a "good job messaging" the importance of public health precautions like hand hygiene, social distancing and mask-wearing.

Another factor, he said, is a local interest in maximizing time spent outdoors during the summer.

"As New Englanders and as Cape Codders, I would be wanting to dine outside this time of year anyways," Cyr said. "I would be opting to go to the beach with a friend or two. I wouldn't be doing most of the activities, any social activities, I wouldn't be doing that indoors. I'd want to be outside, right, because we've got this long winter. I think as New Englanders we're hard-wired to want to be recreating outdoors."

While "it certainly feels like summer" on the Outer Cape, Cyr said, the rhythms feel somewhat different than usual with more of a focus on daytime outdoor activity while bars and clubs remain closed.

In Sandwich, Board of Selectmen chair Dave Sampson said there have been high levels of activity at beaches and the boardwalk. "We've found that residents and visitors alike have generally been adhering to mask guidelines, being respectful of others," he said.

Chris Flanagan, who chairs the Dennis Board of Selectmen, said business owners are taking mask-wearing "very seriously" in his community, with some "No shirt, no shoes, no masks, no business" signs popping up. Lifeguards give "gentle reminders" to beachgoers who are spotted without masks, he said.

In addition to the statewide order that masks or face coverings be worn in public when social distancing isn't possible, Chatham has adopted a local policy requiring masks downtown. Board of Selectmen chair Shareen Davis said the town is taking a "thoughtful approach" to enforcing the mask requirement, providing warnings rather than initially fining violators.

"We're doing more to educate the public and offer masks rather than enforce this mandate," she said.