Editor’s note: This is the town of Hopkinton’s COVID-19 update for May 28.
COVID-19 Updates and Precautions
May 28 update
Previous updates and additional information and resources can be found here:
coronavirus-hopkintonma.hub.arcgis.com/
As of May 27, Hopkinton’s Health Department is reporting 1,063 total confirmed COVID-19 cases; seven 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.
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that effective May 29 all industry COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted and the current face covering order will be rescinded and replaced by the CDC’s updated guidance cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/fully-vaccinated.html.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.
Hopkinton Reopening Plan — Hopkinton Public Library — NEW UPDATE
As we gently reemerge into the “new normal,” library staff are working closely with the Town of Hopkinton and the Health Department on our transition. 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 occupancy limits, hours and services, and will be making changes as quickly as feasible. We appreciate your continued patience for a short time. Please watch our website and social media for updates.
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 some extra safety precautions for the time being. Out of respect for the many children who use the library, especially during the summer, we will continue to require face coverings for all library visitors 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 reevaluate this requirement in August. Thank you in advance for your help in keeping our whole community safe.
Memorial Day — REMINDER
Hopkinton Town Hall and municipal buildings will be closed on Monday, May 31, in observance of Memorial Day.
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-may-27-2021/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-may-27-2021/download
Massachusetts Reopening Plan
On May 17, Massachusetts announced that COVID restrictions will be lifted on May 29, and the commonwealth will adopt CDC Face Covering Guidance.
Effective May 29, all industries will be permitted to open. With the exception of remaining face-covering requirements for public and private transportation systems and facilities housing vulnerable populations, all industry restrictions will be lifted, and capacity will increase to 100% for all industries. The gathering limit will be rescinded.
All industries will be encouraged to follow CDC guidance for cleaning and hygiene protocols.
On May 18, 2020, the Baker-Polito Administration published the reopening phases, which called for ending restrictions when vaccines became widely available. Today, there are over 975 locations for Massachusetts residents to access vaccines without delay.
More information on the news announcement from May 17 can be found here:
mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-to-lift-covid-restrictions-may-29-state-to-meet-vaccination-goal-by-beginning-of-june
More information on Massachusetts Reopening here: mass.gov/info-details/reopening-massachusetts
Mass Vaccination Sites Open for Walk-Ups
As of May 10, six of the commonwealth’s mass vaccination sites are open for walk-up vaccination. These sites include the Hynes Convention Center, the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury, the Double Tree in Danvers, the former Circuit City in Dartmouth, the Eastfield Mall in Springfield and the Natick Mall.
Residents may still go to VaxFinder to find a location near them and plan their vaccination. Residents will be able to use each site’s VaxFinder listing to either book appointments or view more details about walk-up appointments. VaxFinder also lists important information like each site’s accessibility options, MBTA Trip Planner and more. Over 500 locations have open availability on VaxFinder.
Massachusetts COVID-19 Vaccine
As of April 19, all individuals aged 16+ are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in Massachusetts.
There are different ways to find a vaccine appointment:
● Preregister at VaccineSignUp.mass.gov to be notified when it’s your turn to schedule an appointment at a mass vaccination or regional collaborative location.
● Use VaxFinder.mass.gov to search for appointments at pharmacies, health care providers, and other community locations.
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
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