Summer is basically here (you can tell by the fights on WHB). Anyway, with the Town election over and virus significantly retreated, we thought now was the time to reflect on the direction of this blog. So we’ll take a nice break to do exactly that. Expect less frequent updates here and thank you as always for reading.
We leave you for now with the view from our recently acquired office.
Shelagh Joyce resigns from Plymouth Select Board without explanation after casting sole vote against Quintal for Chair and Cavacco for Vice Chair, there were no other nominations.
Challenger Harry Helm defeated incumbent and Board Chairman Ken Tavares for Plymouth Selectmen yesterday 43% to 39% in what many saw as a referendum on the performance of the Town Manager and a call for change.
Michael Heath, who dropped out of the race and endorsed Helm received 6%, Everett Malaguti received 10%. The umbrella organization of Town employees endorses Helm.
Virus levels among school students and employees dipped even lower this week to just 4 total cases systemwide, down from 14 last week. The four cases were students who acquired the virus from “out of school” exposure. No employees reported having the virus this week, the second week in the last three weeks with no employee virus cases. 22 students and 2 employees were quarantined due to “out of school” exposure. Last week 32 students were quarantined and no employees.
After dropping for six straight weeks virus rates in Plymouth have fallen to levels not seen since last October, moving the Town from yellow to green status, according to data released by the state last evening.
Plymouth’s incidence rate per 100,000 dipped to 7.7 per 100,000 from 13.1 the week before and the percent of positive tests fell to 1.77% from 2.91%, both data points are based on a 14 day moving average, representing data from April 25 to May 8.
Twenty four Plymouth residents are reported to have active virus cases according to data released by the Town’s Public Health Department today. Plymouth has an approximate population of 63,000. Five new cases of the virus reported today. Statewide there are 16,685 cases out of 7 million residents for a rate of .00328%.
Now that the CDC has reversed indoor mask guidance for vaccinated people, it is unclear if Governor Baker and thus the Town of Plymouth will adopt the CDC recommendations.
The chairman of the Plymouth Board of Selectman Ken Tavares and candidate for re-election this Saturday, welcomed the Town’s newest fire truck Friday, along with Liam Larivee, son of Fire Fighter Larivee. The new truck, Engine 4, features a 1500 gallon per minute pump and 1000 gallon water tank plus a 10 kilowatt hydraulic generator.
“Without the support we received from Town Management, the Finance Committee, the members of Select Board, Town Meeting members and of course the citizens of Plymouth, the addition of Engine 4 to our fleet would not have been possible,” Fire Chief Ed Bradley said.
The Florida built truck will serve Station 4 on Bourne Road.
According to data released by the school department late Friday, no Plymouth school students or staff had a current virus case due to school exposure. 12 student were reported with out of school exposure and 2 staff, for a total of 14 cases, last week there were 11 cases. Plymouth schools include over 7000 students and staff. 32 students were quarantined for out of school exposure, down 7 from last week. No staff were currently quarantined.
Virus rates dropped for a fifth straight week according to state data released today. Last week Plymouth moved from a red risk community to the lower yellow risk status.
Plymouth’s incidence rate per 100,000 dipped to 13.1 per 100,000 from 18.1 the week before and the percent of positive tests fell to 2.91% from 3.6%, both data points are based on a 14 day moving average, representing data from April 18 to May 1.
The year’s lowest rate per 100,000 occurred the week ending March 9, just before the outbreak at the High Point Treatment Center in Manomet, where according to the Plymouth Director of Public Karen Keane at least 50 residents have tested positive, with more testing yet to come, as of March 24th.
The highest rate per 100,000 was in mid-January at 89.4/100,000 residents since the state has been compiling the data in this format on a municipal level in early August of 2020.
Plymouth’s Litter Lady wants you to contact Town Hall at 508-746-1620 x10204 on Wednesday or Thursday to get your special purple clean up bags for the spring Town wide clean up this Saturday. Bags will not be available at Town Hall on Friday.
“As a coastal community, we have a special responsibility, any litter on the ground is going to make it into brooks, streams and the ocean… covid masks, you’ve noticed, there are covid masks everywhere,” the Litter Lady told the Board of Selectmen last night.
