WEEKLY REPORT OF CONFIRMED CASES OF COVID-19 IN THE TOWN OF SHREWSBURY
The Town of Shrewsbury has been notified by the Central Massachusetts Regional Public Health Alliance (CMRPHA) that additional Shrewsbury residents have tested positive for Coronavirus (COVID-19). Public Health Officials are working closely with the individuals and will notify others that the individuals may have been in contact with. CMRPHA will continue to work with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to ensure any affected residents are properly monitored, quarantined and isolated as each case dictates.
Positive cases in the Town of Shrewsbury as of today, October 1, 2020: 411 (+18)
Positive cases in the Town of Shrewsbury as last reported, September 24, 2020: 393
The increase in positive cases has been determined to be attributed to several household and long term care facility clusters in the Town of Shrewsbury. We are urging residents to consider their own responsibility to help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus. Many credible sources illustrated that those in the age group older than 65 were the most at risk, but that does not mean any age group is immune from contracting or spreading the virus. The most effective ways to reduce your risk in contracting the virus and preventing the spread remain the same: personal hygiene, social distancing and staying home when possible. The Town is doing everything it can from a public health and public safety standpoint to reduce the spread and ensure the continued operations of all essential services. The Commonwealth has launched “Stop the Spread”, a strategic testing program in communities across Massachusetts that have continued to see a higher number of residents testing positive for COVID-19 and is providing free testing through the end of October. We will be watching three reports of data over a four week period before making any adjustments to town operations or guidance to business owners on their operations.
The Commonwealth is also reporting enhanced community-level data on key COVID-19 metrics as part of the Baker-Polito Administration’s efforts to partner with cities and towns to slow the spread of the virus. Based on the average daily cases per 100,000 residents, each city or town has been designated as a higher risk (red), moderate risk (yellow), or lower risk (green) community. Communities with fewer than 5 cases are not given a designation. As of today, the Town of Shrewsbury has been escalated from a green community, to a yellow community due to the several distinct clusters within the community. Please be aware that these clusters have been tracked and are being monitored by local and state public health officials.
The Central Massachusetts Regional Public Health Alliance has provided the following age analysis for positive cases in the Town of Shrewsbury. Please note the uptick in positive cases of those age 19 and younger:
The Town of Shrewsbury is committed to keeping the public informed during this period of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Town Manager's Office will update the public each Thursday by 4:30PM* of with any new developments or changes in Town operations including confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Shrewsbury, in the following order:
- Website Newsflash (visit https://shrewsburyma.gov/list.aspx to subscribe)
- Alert for COVID-19 Page (visit https://shrewsburyma.gov/list.aspx to subscribe)
- Cases Tab on COVID-19 Page
- Social Media Accounts (Facebook & Twitter)
Additionally, The Worcester City Manager Edward M Augustus will now also hold weekly press briefings on Thursday evenings in which Shrewsbury's positive cases will also be reported at that time. The weekly press briefings can be streamed live here: http://www.worcesterma.gov/video-on-demand *Updates will not be provided if there are no new developments.
General Coronavirus Information: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html
As a reminder, the Town of Shrewsbury is part of the coalition of the seven municipalities in the Central Massachusetts Regional Public Health Alliance (CMRPHA).
A COVID-19 information line has been established for Shrewsbury Residents to use at 508-799-1019. The line provides facts and information about COVID-19, how to stop the spread, what to do if someone is experiencing symptoms and quarantine information. The line will be available in multiple languages. If you have a medical emergency, please dial 911 and not the number above.
If you would like to reach out via email, you may do so at Health@worcesterma.gov , however, please note that this email is monitored Monday through Friday-8:30 AM to 5:00PM. Due to the high volume of COVID-19 inquiries, you may expect a response back within 1-2 business days.