BERNARDSTON — The Selectboard discussed the status of the COVID-19 situation in town during its meeting last wee, and also expressed concerns about poor communication with the state amid the ongoing pandemic.
As the weeks continue under the stay-at-home advisory, Selectboard Chair Robert Raymond said he has seen more and more people wearing masks, and fewer and fewer drivers on the roads. Fire Chief and Emergency Management Director Peter Shedd said that while the “curve” may appear to be flattening, and call volume for medical aid is decreasing, that doesn’t necessarily mean the pandemic is nearing an end.
“The state has finally come through with some of their promised masks, and other stuff, so that’s improving,” Shedd noted.
In addition to the influx of supplies, Shedd said testing sites are starting to pop up in Western Massachusetts. One facility is being established at Baystate Franklin Medical Center, Shedd said, and the Big E has been acting as a testing site for first responders and essential workers.
Raymond and Shedd discussed the importance of testing first responders for COVID-19. It is not mandatory for someone to be tested unless they exhibit symptoms of the virus, Raymond said, but it’s possible someone could be an asymptomatic carrier.
“That’s part of the problem,” Shedd commented.
Until more tests are available and sites open to those who don’t display symptoms, it will be nearly impossible to know who is truly carrying the virus. Shedd said full-time fire and police departments in the county have all established their own protocols. For example, he said a first responder may be required to have his or her temperature taken and fill out a questionnaire asking if he or she exhibits a cough or feels any aches, pains or headaches, before and after each shift.
The Selectboard and Shedd also discussed the difficulty of obtaining clear information on COVID-19 cases from the state and the Franklin Regional Council of Governments (FRCOG). Shedd said he hears from both sources, but regardless, information is limited. He said fire and police chiefs from across the state have voiced similar concerns about lack of knowledge related to COVID-19 cases in their towns.
“It’s a statewide issue that the sharing of information has not been good,” Shedd said.
Selectboard member Brian Keir serves as a representative for the Board of Health. According to Keir, he is notified of COVID-19 cases by FRCOG. He does not know any names, and simply knows there has been a positive case in town. When a resident ends a 14-day home quarantine and tests negative for COVID-19, Keir is notified that one person has dropped off the monitoring program.
“But, as Peter said, they give you very little information,” Keir said. “I’m passing information on to Pete and they’re doing the best they can to manage it, but some of it’s not even correct information we’re getting.”
There was one incident where Keir was notified of a positive case in town. Three days later, he was told the state had misreported the information and the positive case was actually from another town.
Shedd said he was notified early on of families in Bernardston who had not been tested for COVID-19, but who self-quarantined after coming in contact with a person who had tested positive for the virus. While it is now “well past” the allotted 14-day quarantine period, Shedd said the state has yet to provide an update on whether these residents have been cleared.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.