Editor’s note: This is the town of Hopkinton’s COVID-19 update for Nov. 6.
COVID-19 Updates and Precautions
Nov. 6 update
Previous updates and additional information and resources can be found here:
coronavirus-hopkintonma.hub.arcgis.com/
Hopkinton Town Hall reopened to the public as of Aug. 10. Appointments are required due to the state’s COVID-19 limits on building occupancy: Click here for more information. All town departments are open for business and many transactions can be completed online. We are available via phone and email to assist during regular business hours. A full Town Directory can be found here. A box at the front door of Town Hall may be used to drop off correspondence, applications, etc., and they may also be mailed or emailed.
As of Nov. 4, Hopkinton’s Health Department is reporting 178 total confirmed COVID-19 cases; five of those cases are active, with 160 recoveries and 13 deaths. You can see historical tracking and updates on Hopkinton’s Community Impact Dashboard.
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-november-5-2020/download
**Note that the link above is the same link as was published yesterday by the state, but the report has been updated by the state and now includes the city/town data not included in its original posting (from Thursday). A description of the new color metrics scale can be found on Page 27; the new scale contains different rating metrics based on population size.
Town Hall Offices Physically Closed on Friday, Nov. 13 — NEW UPDATE
Town Hall will be physically closed on Friday, Nov. 13, due to planned maintenance and replacement of a backup power generator. Since appointments are required for physical access to Town Hall, we will be accepting no appointments for Friday, Nov. 13. However, all town departments will be open for business and available just as they were during the times when Town Hall was physically closed due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Veterans Day — REMINDER
Hopkinton Town Hall and municipal buildings will be closed on Wednesday, Nov. 11, in observance of Veterans Day.
Town of Hopkinton COVID-19 Rent and Mortgage Relief Program — REMINDER
The Town of Hopkinton is announcing a program to provide partial, temporary support for certain housing costs for qualified residents who have experienced income loss due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Funding for the program comes from the town’s federal CARES Act emergency relief allocation. Click here for more information and the application form.
Governor Baker Announces Targeted Measures To Curb Rising COVID-19 Cases
Earlier this week the Baker-Polito Administration announced a series of targeted measures to disrupt the increasing trend of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. Governor Charlie Baker announced these changes at a time when public health data has indicated that cases are rising, with cases up by 278% and hospitalizations up by 145% since Labor Day. These measures are meant to disrupt rising trends now, so the commonwealth can keep the economy and schools open for residents and to prevent the need to roll back to Phase 1 or Phase 2 of the reopening plan.
A reminder that these new orders and advisories, issued Monday, Nov. 2, went into effect today, Friday, Nov. 6, at 12:01 a.m.
- Stay At Home Advisory: The commonwealth issued a revised Stay At Home Advisory to ensure residents avoid unnecessary activities that can lead to increased COVID-19 transmission. The revised Stay At Home Advisory instructs residents to stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m. The advisory allows for activities such as going to work, running critical errands to get groceries and address health needs, and taking a walk. Click here to read the revised Stay At Home Advisory.
- Early Closure of Businesses and Activities: Governor Baker issued a new executive order that requires the early closure of certain businesses and activities each night at 9:30 p.m. The 9:30 p.m. closure requirement is aligned with the Stay At Home Advisory and together the two new initiatives are designed to further limit activities that could lead to COVID-19 transmission. Click here to read the new executive order (including full list of businesses required to close at 9:30 p.m.).
- Face Covering Order: Governor Baker also signed an updated order related to face coverings. The revised order requires all persons to wear face coverings in all public places, even where they are able to maintain 6 feet of distance from others. The revised order still allows for an exception for residents who cannot wear a face covering due to a medical or disabling condition, but it allows employers to require employees to provide proof of such a condition. It also allows schools to require that students participating in in-person learning provide proof of such a medical or disabling condition. Click here to read the revised face coverings order.
- Gatherings Order: Governor Baker also signed an updated order restricting gatherings. The new gatherings order reduces the gathering size limit for gatherings at private residences. Indoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 10 people and outdoor gatherings at private residences are limited to 25 people. The limit on gatherings held in public spaces and at event venues (e.g. wedding venues) remains the same. The new order also requires that all gatherings (regardless of size or location) must end and disperse by 9:30 p.m. Click here to read the revised gatherings order.
Hopkinton Freedom Team — NEW UPDATE
During COVID-19, individuals may be experiencing much more anxiety inside and outside of their homes. Signs of the divisiveness of the country have been felt here in Hopkinton. The recently formed Hopkinton Freedom Team’s mission is “preserving freedom through unity in the community.” Its members meet monthly to explore ways of offering dialogue and support to individuals and the entire community with a goal of promoting love, inclusion and trust — “LIT” — and moving beyond tolerance to embracing, celebrating and sharing our community’s diversity. Anyone who has witnessed or experienced bias-motivated threats, harassment or violence may call the Town of Hopkinton hotline at 774-278-4455 or contact the Freedom Team at info@hopkintonfreedomteam.org. The hotline will be monitored by the Hopkinton Police Department. While not every incident will be appropriate for legal action, the Hopkinton Police will work closely with the Hopkinton Freedom Team to support victims and educate where appropriate. For more information about the Freedom Team, go to hopkintonfreedomteam.org or Facebook @hopkintonfreedomteam.
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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