ATHOL – Members of the town’s Board of Health participated in a broad-ranging discussion of the COVID-19 virus with Athol Health Agent Deb Vondal during a remote meeting Monday afternoon.
As of the time of the meeting, said Vondal, there were 25 confirmed cases of the virus in Athol. In a posting on the town’s website later Monday, Vandal indicated on of that one of those cases had been cleared.
In response to a question from board member Joan Hamlett, Vondal noted the cases are spread evenly throughout the town; that there is no concentration of cases in any given neighborhood.
“This is a scary time,” said Vondal, “and in one way or another it’s affecting everybody. We really need to emphasize to everyone that they need to follow the CDC recommendations. And people not only need to do what they can to avoid getting the virus, they really need to conduct themselves as if they are infected, and they need to do that in order to protect others.”
While the addresses of each confirmed coronavirus patient is provided to first responders so that they can better protect themselves if called to one of them, Vondal said police and firefighter/EMTs are treating nearly every call as if those involved are infected.
The health agent noted that not all people carrying the virus may exhibit symptoms.
“That’s why it’s so important to act like you have it. You could be a carrier and not even know it.”
Vondal said while most stores and restaurants that remain open are doing a decent job of social distancing, her department has received a number of complaints about employees at some locations are not doing enough to protect themselves or the public.
“We’ve had complaints, for example, where at one store some employees were wearing masks and others were not, even after the governor recommended that everyone in public wear one,” she said. “At some locations, barriers have been put up between the cashiers and the customers. But at those places where there’s no barrier, the cashiers really should be wearing masks.
Hamlett pointed out that, while restaurant workers are advised to wear gloves, gloves need to be changed on an ongoing basis.
“If they put on a pair of gloves when they get to work and don’t change them all day,” she said, “it defeats the purpose.”
Vondal said she receives daily updates from federal, state, or regional health agencies and will keep the board and the public informed as response to the pandemic continues.