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 Barnstable County Continues to Prepare for Increased Number of COVID-19 Cases

BARNSTABLE COUNTY

REGIONAL EMERGENCY PLANNING COMMITTEE

SUPERIOR COURT HOUSE

POST OFFICE BOX 427

BARNSTABLE, MA 02630

BCREPC Media Release  

Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee

Media Release 004 – COVID-19

March

 

For Immediate Release

Barnstable County Continues to Prepare for Increased Number of COVID-19 Cases

BARNSTABLE (MA) March 27, 2020 – The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC) held a conference call on Thursday, March 26, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. to review the current COVID-19 conditions and to discuss ongoing response efforts in the county.  Individuals present on the call included over 100 representatives from agencies across Cape Cod’s 15 towns and Nantucket, including elected officials and representatives from Cape Cod Healthcare.

Updates and guidance

BCREPC Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) continues to operate as a limited activation in response to COVID-19 from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM daily.  The MACC is focusing its efforts on assisting with resource requests, especially for personal protective equipment (PPE), for the COVID-19 test site at Cape Cod Community College and supporting testing operations with Cape Cod Healthcare.  The MACC has received over 200 requests for supplies from other agencies since last Friday.  Some organizations have donated PPEs, such as Massachusetts Maritime Academy and International Fund for Animal Welfare.

A coordinated response to address the homeless population has been implemented. For those who need to self-quarantine, but do not have a place to do so, a number of motel rooms have been blocked for 30 days as a stopgap measure.

According to Massachusetts Department of Public Health, there were 67 positive cases in Barnstable County at the time of this call and one death on Cape Cod.

The BCREPC wants to ensure that Barnstable County residents know that a coordinated response is taking place in our region.  The general public is asked to practice social distancing, consistent hand-washing, and other recommendations for prevention made by Massachusetts Department of Public Health.  Additionally, Barnstable County Administration released a statement yesterday asking travelers from New York City Metropolitan area (CT, NJ, NY) to self-isolate for 14 days.

For updated information, please visit www.barnstablecountyhealth.org/ and www.mass.gov/2019coronavirus

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Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC)

The BCREPC was founded in September 2002 to assist the communities on Cape Cod and the Town of Nantucket with addressing hazardous materials emergency planning and response as required by the federal government. Today, the BCREPC has expanded its scope to include “All Hazard” emergency planning issues such as storm response, sheltering and grants management. The BCREPC is a coalition of emergency management, law enforcement, fire service, health care, public health, public works, EMS, military, and numerous other affiliated agencies as outlined by the Massachusetts State Emergency Response Committee (SERC). It represents the towns of Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Mashpee, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro, Wellfleet, and Yarmouth in Barnstable County, and the town of Nantucket in Nantucket County. The REPC is coordinated by the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment. Visit www.bcrepc.org