Editor’s note: This is the town of Hopkinton’s COVID-19 update for June 4.
COVID-19 Updates and Precautions
June 4 update
Previous updates and additional information and resources can be found here:
coronavirus-hopkintonma.hub.arcgis.com/
As of June 3, Hopkinton’s Health Department is reporting 1,065 total confirmed COVID-19 cases; eight of those cases are active, with 1,040 recoveries and 17 deaths. You can see historical tracking and updates on Hopkinton’s Community Impact Dashboard, which is updated frequently.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health COVID-19 Weekly Public Health Report — NEW UPDATE
The Weekly COVID-19 Public Health Report includes enhanced, more granular information to be updated on a weekly or biweekly basis, including town-by-town case and testing information, cases and deaths in long-term care facilities, updates on nursing facility audit results and more. mass.gov/doc/weekly-covid-19-public-health-report-june-3-2021/download
A reminder that many data points previously included in this report can now be found on the Massachusetts interactive dashboard: mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-response-reporting
Massachusetts Department of Public Health Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Report — NEW UPDATE
The Weekly COVID-19 Vaccination Report includes the most currently available information on vaccines shipped and administered, as well as more granular information by geography, demographic factors and more. mass.gov/doc/weekly-covid-19-vaccination-report-june-3-2021/download
No Massachusetts Communities “In The Red” — NEW UPDATE
For the first time since August 2020, when the Baker-Polito Administration launched a community COVID-19 risk classification system, no city or town in Massachusetts is classified as red, or high-risk due to coronavirus case rates. The number of communities in the high-risk red zone peaked in mid-January 2021, when 229 of the 351 cities and towns in the commonwealth were classified as red.
Hopkinton Public Schools — NEW UPDATE
For the 2021-22 school year, DESE anticipates that schools will reopen with no social distancing limitations. DESE will collaborate with the Department of Public Health (DPH) to issue any additional health and safety recommendations over the summer (e.g., masks for elementary school students). DESE will provide updates to districts and schools as it receives them. Districts will no longer be able to offer remote learning as a standard learning model in the fall.
Hopkinton Public Library Reopening Info — NEW UPDATE
Occupancy limits for the library have been lifted, with the exception of a 30-person limit in the Children’s Room. The half-hour time limit for browsing has also been lifted. On Monday, June 7, expanded walk-in hours will begin! The new schedule will be: 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday/Wednesday/Friday, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m. Tuesday/Thursday. A further increase in hours is being planned for the coming weeks.
Over the past year, library operations have been completely restructured to meet the needs of an entirely different set of circumstances. We are moving forward with purpose, but another restructuring will take a little time to implement. We are diligently working to increase hours and services further, including bringing study rooms and public computers back and returning to pre-pandemic open hours. We will be implementing additional changes as quickly as feasible and appreciate your continued patience for a short time. Please watch our website and social media for updates.
Masks Still Required in the Library:
Our goal is to be a welcoming place for our community where all can visit. Because many of our visitors are under the age of 12 and cannot yet be vaccinated, we must continue to take extra safety precautions. Out of respect for the many children who use the library, especially during the summer, the library will continue to require face coverings for all visitors and staff at least through summer 2021. The library trustees and director, in consultation with the Hopkinton Health Department, have made this decision to ensure that we are continuing to protect all of our patrons and staff. We will re-evaluate this requirement in August. Thank you in advance for your help in keeping our whole community safe.
Hopkinton Senior Center Reopening Info — NEW UPDATE
As of June 1, the Hopkinton Senior Center is open Monday-Thursday 9:30 a.m.-4 p.m. and Fridays 8:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Masks are required for all individuals who are not vaccinated. All programs and classes and the thrift store are gradually phasing back in to pre-COVID operation. Please call 508-497-9730 if you have any questions about a specific program.
Hopkinton Seniors are eligible for take out meals for pickup or delivery Tuesday through Friday. We have a limited number of meals available, but please call 508-497-9730 if you are interested. We anticipate that we will be able to resume our regular in-person meals over the next few months.
The Town of Hopkinton will reopen town buildings to the public June 1 without the need for appointments, and will follow the commonwealth’s Reopening Massachusetts guidance and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) guidelines in lifting COVID-19 restrictions. This means that face coverings are not required for fully vaccinated individuals.
All town buildings, including the Hopkinton Public Library, Senior Center, the Thomas McIntyre Town Barn (DPW) and 6 Walcott St., will be open to the public during regular business hours effective June 1. With respect to the resumption of specific programs, please contact the relevant department.
Shaun McAuliffe, health services director, has reported that Hopkinton now has very low rates of infection and has a very high vaccination rate. Further, Gov. Baker announced that effective May 29 all industry COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted and the current face covering order will be rescinded and replaced by the CDC’s updated guidance cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html. He added that he will lift the current state of emergency on June 15.
The Hopkinton Board of Health will also lift its face covering order. Those who have not been fully vaccinated are strongly encouraged to continue to wear face coverings, and must do so in town buildings.
Per the state guidelines, regardless of vaccination status, members of the public will still be required to wear face coverings in the following spaces:
● Public/private transportation systems (Senior Center buses, MWRTA, MBTA, Uber/Lyft, etc.)
● Health care facilities and providers, congregate care settings and health and rehabilitative day services.
● Indoors for staff and students of K-12 schools and early education providers.
Further, fully vaccinated individuals who wish to continue wearing face coverings may do so, and businesses may individually choose to maintain COVID-19 precautions including the use of face coverings, social distancing and more. To that end, the Hopkinton Public Library will continue to require face coverings for all visitors over the age of 2 until at least through summer 2021 since much of its clientele includes children.
The governor has also filed legislation that would allow municipalities to continue to offer some meetings virtually while still complying with the state’s Open Meeting Law, and also allow for outdoor dining and alcohol consumption. More information will be provided in the coming weeks.
Massachusetts Reopening Plan
More information on Massachusetts Reopening here: mass.gov/info-details/reopening-massachusetts
Mass Vaccination Sites Open for Walk-Ups
More information on COVID-19 vaccines here: mass.gov/covid-19-vaccine
Hopkinton also posts frequently on social media. Our Twitter is the best place to keep up with all happenings Hopkinton. You don’t need an account to see our twitter feed: https://twitter.com/HopkintonMA
Complete list of Emergency Orders and Guidance from Mass.gov
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-state-of-emergency
0 Comments