Canton and COVID-19: Answer the Call

By Nichola Gallagher & Dr. Julie Goodman

With the start of a new year and COVID case counts rising, we want to take a moment to both acknowledge how much the Canton community has done in terms of testing and contact tracing, and to remind everyone why this is such a vital part of keeping Canton schools and businesses open. Canton has been trending steadily upwards in both case count and positivity rate, and on December 31, Canton moved into the red category.

In August we hit a low with a two-week cumulative total of 14 cases. As of January 7, Canton had a two-week total of 212 new cases. Percent positivity is another statistic we monitor closely. As recently as November 28, Canton’s positive COVID test rate was 1.15 percent; this jumped to 6.2 percent on January 7.

Why is this happening? More time indoors is certainly contributing, but also COVID fatigue is likely playing a role. People are tired of taking precautions, wearing masks, and adhering to travel restrictions. This has led to a level of contagion more widespread than we have seen before in this community.

The spread is having a real impact on Canton restaurants and other businesses. As of December 13, the state compelled some businesses and restaurants to revert to earlier capacity requirements (Schedule I and II), while others were forced to close their physical locations (Schedule III).

For now, Canton Public Schools can still open their doors because no transmission has occurred in schools. We know this because contact tracing has identified the transmission sources. Other school systems in the state have been forced to close their doors this past week due in part to lack of cooperation tracking transmission of the virus. Keeping Canton schools open is dependent on participation from every member of our community.

All of the safety precautions are important for us to flatten the curve. We need to join together in wearing masks, keeping safe distances, getting tested, and cooperating when the health department calls. We have flattened the curve before, and together we can do it again.

If the Health Department reaches out, please answer the call.

Additional COVID-related information, including recent state orders, statistics and more, can be found on the Board of Health website at town.canton.ma.us/139/Board-of-Health.

Please note: No health department will ever ask you for your Social Security number or any kind of payment/bank account information.

Nichola Gallagher is a member of the Canton School Committee and Dr. Julie Goodman is chair of the Canton Board of Health. Opinions expressed here are our own and do not necessarily reflect the views of others.

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