BOSTON (WHDH) - From a crowded party boat in Boston Harbor to a packed house party in Chatham, health officials say people are letting their guard down during the coronavirus pandemic.
President of the Massachusetts Medical Society Dr. David Rosman said the recent uptick in cases should serve as a wake-up call to those not abiding by the state’s recommendations.
“Perhaps because we moved to Phase 3 or the weather is nice, people have just decided that they are done and they don’t want to follow the rules anymore,” Rosman said. “They want to see their friends, they want to go have a good time and the truth is the virus is not done with us.”
Governor Charlie Baker said the new cluster of cases have been traced back to parties.
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There has been great leadership from the governor. When we went into Phase 1 we had a 10 percent positive rate on tests, now we are down to 1.9. The problem is we are at 1.9 on the way up from 1.7 and we’ve got to think about what’s causing that,” Rosman said.
Beachgoers hitting the shore Tuesday said they were concerned after at least eight lifeguards in Falmouth tested positive for the coronavirus — and may have been told not to share those results.
The town became aware over the past weekend that “one or more” members of the lifeguards contracted the virus, Falmouth Town Manager Julian Suso wrote in a public notice.
7’s Steve Cooper reported that the lifeguards tested positive for COVID-19 after attending a party. Officials are looking into reports that supervisors told lifeguards to keep their test results under wraps, and people at the beach said that information needs to be shared.
“It’s scary and they need to keep people informed on it,” said Robin Dodd. “They tried to cover it up and I don’t think that’s very good.”
The town is offering to test to Beach Department workers
In Quincy, three restaurants have been force the temporarily shut down for cleaning after a small outbreak rocketed through the city.
According to Rosman, more closures could be on the horizon if the blip in positive cases turns out to be just the tip of the iceberg.
“I think the first step is to make sure people are actually following the rules and if we can do that, perhaps we can stay within Phase 3,” He said. “And if we can’t, frankly really soon, when the numbers go up, I think we need to seriously consider rolling back.”
So far, Governor Baker has made no mention of rolling back the state’s phased reopening plan.
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