BROOKLINE — The Town of Brookline seeks to provide regular updates to residents on the town’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
There are currently 305 positive cases of coronavirus that have been identified among Brookline residents, and 27 of those people have died as a result of COVID-19. Additionally, 123 people have been released from isolation.
Further data about Brookline’s COVID-19 cases is updated periodically online at brooklinecovid19.com/cases. The data is updated as regularly as possible, while Health Department staff continue to dedicate the majority of their time to contact tracing.
Answer the Call to Support Community Contact Tracing
While the Town of Brookline’s Department of Public Health is conducting contact tracing of its own, residents should expect that they may receive calls from public health staff in other communities, or the state’s Community Contact Tracing Collaborative.
When a person tests positive for COVID-19, contact tracers will reach out to them by phone, as well as individuals they have come into close contact with in order to slow the spread.
“Contact tracing is at the very core of the work our health department staff and our peers throughout the state are doing to slow the spread of this virus,” Health Commissioner Dr. Swannie Jett said. “It’s imperative that anyone who receives a call from a contact tracer answer that call and work cooperatively to support that effort.”
When they call, contact tracers are also tasked with ensuring that people’s medical needs are being met and that they are supported while in quarantine.
Residents can recognize a contact tracing call by looking at their phone’s caller ID, which will display “MA COVID Team.” Information shared during the call is strictly confidential and is treated as private medical information. Click here to learn more about the collaborative.
Brookline Emergency Volunteers Remaining Engaged
On Thursday, April 30, the Brookline Police Department and Emergency Operations Center staff hosted a virtual check-in meeting with members of Brookline’s Community Emergency Response Team (CERT).
Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, members of the team have been working to support the efforts of a variety of organizations, including the Brookline Food Pantry, Got Masks?, the Red Cross and Mutual Aid Brookline.
Approximately 40 CERT members took part in last week’s check-in, which was conducted via video chat and provided an opportunity for them to provide updates on their work in the community.
Brookline’s CERT is a group of more than 250 volunteers who have undergone training and certification to assist the town during emergencies.
Under normal circumstances, the CERT and Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) take on an active role in numerous areas, including running Boston Marathon Reception Centers, staffing flu clinics, opening warming shelters for residents displaced by fires and supporting the town’s emergency preparedness efforts.
Town of Brookline Urges Voters to Vote Early by Mail
Brookline Town Officials are encouraging voters to vote early by mail for next month’s Annual Town Election in an effort to promote the health and safety of all voters, as well as election workers. Any registered voter may vote early by mail, as long as their ballot is received by the Town Clerk’s office before the close of polls on election day.
For more information on voting early by mail, click here.
Outside Your Home? Cover Your Face
The Town of Brookline continues to require all individuals over age two to wear a mask while in public, and the Commonwealth has likewise required those in public to wear a mask where social distancing is not possible.
Those with a chronic medical condition that inhibits their breathing are exempted from wearing a mask or face covering.
The Commonwealth’s order takes effect on Wednesday, May 6. For the state order, click here.
For more information about face coverings, visit BrooklineCOVID19.com/face-coverings.
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