2 more Cape Cod lifeguards test positive for COVID-19 after party
Total of 10 COVID-19 cases among Falmouth beach staff
Total of 10 COVID-19 cases among Falmouth beach staff
Total of 10 COVID-19 cases among Falmouth beach staff
Two more lifeguards have tested positive for COVID-19 in Falmouth, bringing the total number of cases among that staff to 10.
Town officials said Monday they were informed of the two additional cases Sunday.
"As per protocol, both lifeguards are removed from the work schedule and are quarantining until further notice," officials wrote in a statement.
The town first reported eight positive cases from the town's beach staff last week. Officials said there was an after-hours gathering on July 21 where precautions may have been ignored.
"There was a social gathering after-hours that I don't believe had followed social distancing guidelines," said Acting Beach Superintendent Maggie Clayton.
Town officials said they have been encouraging employees to get tested.
All beach employees were offered free COVID-19 testing at Falmouth Hospital and Cape Cod Hospital.
A party was also linked to a different cluster of cases being investigated on Cape Cod. More than a dozen cases were discovered after a gathering in Chatham, officials said.
Also, Baystate Health in Springfield announced that it had identified 36 cases connected to an employee who traveled to a COVID-19 "hot spot" in another state. The 13 patients and 23 employees were all linked to a non-coronavirus unit at Baystate Medical Center.
"We are aware of some clusters that are associated with gatherings," Gov. Charlie Baker said in his COVID-19 briefing Monday.
“We can also assume there’s simply a lot more mobility out there, some of that as a result of the economic activity associated with opening up some of our commonwealth’s businesses and employers, but also some of it is just people being out and about - it’s warm out, and people generally speaking are in more contact with people now than they were in the months of April, May, and even June,” Baker said.