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Town of Saugus Update Regarding COVID -19 - November 3, 2020

Posted on: November 3, 2020 - 12:18pm

Town of Saugus Update Regarding COVID-19

(Saugus, MA) November 3, 2020 - The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) has notified the Town of Saugus of 904 confirmed cases of COVID-19.  According to the Saugus Health Department this includes 44 deaths in Saugus.  Our hearts and prayers go out to those families affected by this health pandemic.     

Massachusetts health officials have announced as of November 2, 2020, 9 more people have died in the Commonwealth after contracting COVID-19, bringing the state total to 9,797. In addition, there were 725 newly reported cases. So far, 156,385 cases in total have been confirmed while 2,758,047 people have been tested for the virus.

Saugus has been recently been upgraded from moderate-risk to a high-risk community and shading went from yellow to red on the state’s coronavirus map based on the average daily incidence rate over the previous two weeks. 

Governor Charlie Baker’s new metric for understanding how much the virus has spread locally.  It shows the number of cases detected on average each day over the last two weeks in each of Massachusetts' communities. More than 8 cases per 100,000 translates to a high risk, between 4 and 8 cases per 100,000 is moderate risk, and any less than that is low risk.

Cities and towns shaded red have a high risk level which is the highest category.

The Town of Saugus has partnered with the Commonwealth, AFC Urgent Care, Fallon Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and the Square One Mall as a collaborative effort to work to downgrade the Town’s designated “High Risk” red COVID-19 status by establishing and extending the following COVID-19 testing sites in Saugus:

AFC Urgent Care, located at 371 Broadway, is currently offering free testing by appointment on Saturdays and Sundays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please register online at afcurgentcaresaugus.com. Call (781) 233-1000 for more information.  AFC Saugus will be participating in Stop the Spread up through October 31st.

Fallon EMS at the Square One Mall (Far Side Parking Lot on Essex Street), located at 1201 Broadway with entry off of Essex Street, will offer free mobile drive-up testing in for Saugus residents in their cars Monday through Saturday from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.  No appointment is needed.  Residents’ drive-up and register using a tablet when they arrive.  Saugus Police will be assisting with traffic.  The testing site will be staffed by 10-12 individuals to handle registrations.  All samples go directly to the Broad Institution in Cambridge for immediate testing with a 24-36 hour turnaround time.  Notification of results will be made for negative results via emails while phone calls will be made for positive COVID-19 results.  These sites do close when it rains because of risk of test contamination.  This site has recently been extended until January 15, 2021.

This information will be on the Town’s website and on the state’s website: https://www.mass.gov/info-details/stop-the-spread?rgja#saugus-

The Board of Health and the Saugus Health Department will continue to partner with the state and are working on a planned response to the COVID-19.  They are analyzing the data from the past couple of weeks and developing specific strategies to combat the spread through additional enforcement and intervention measures.  We need to do whatever is necessary to keep ourselves, family, neighbors, and communities safe.  Continue to wear your masks, wash hands, avoid gatherings, and continue to follow the CDC and MDPH guidelines. 

The Saugus Health Department strongly believes that additional unrecognized cases DO exist in Saugus.  Due to the fact that they are undetected, some of these infected individuals may not be properly isolated or quarantined, which is why Governor Baker directive is to wear a cloth face cover over their face when around others, practice social distancing, avoid gatherings, and to follow the CDC and MDPH guidance. 

Again, this is a reminder that as the CDC and MDPH has provided guidance to everyone regarding preventing the spread of the COVID-19 virus in the Commonwealth. 

Please follow CDC and MDPH guidance to prevent COVID-19 illness by:

  • Clean your hands often for at least: 20 seconds
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth
  • Stay at least 6 feet between yourself and others
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others

Please stay healthy and please call us with any needs.  We are her for you.

For more information, contact the Saugus Health Department at (781) 231-4117 and/or the Town Manager’s office at 781-231-4111.