COVID UPDATE AS OF JANUARY 2, 2021

By SavoyTown 3 Jan, 2021

January 2, 2021

Hope all are well, as the Covid 19 pandemic continues, the importance of protective measures remains. Massachusetts Positive Covid 19 tests results have been increasing, the data from the Western Mass and the Berkshire region continues spiking upwards. Locally the town of Pittsfield, still seeing high numbers in active cases others up and down, Please keep your protective measures in place.

Active as of 1/2/2021 Cases Savoy now at: 5, Area Current Active Cases – Adams 14, Cheshire, Florida, Clarksburg and Williamstown 0, North Adams 2.

Update: Covid 19 Testing, Berkshire Health Systems Inc. has expanded hours of operation at the North Adams facility at 98 Church St. (8:30 am until 4:30 pm, 7 days week) to make an appointment call the hotline # 1- 855-262 -5465.

Note: Savoy has reached a plan with Berkshire Health Systems Mobile Unit to service residents with general medical needs including COVID testing. The unit will be parked at the town park on determined dates. Information on the dates and times will be posted soon. Looking at late January.

MA has aligned its quarantine recommendations with those issued last week by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/more/scientific-brief-options-to-reduce-quarantine.html), and they go into effect today. The new guidance (attached) is based on recent CDC data showing that shortened quarantine periods result in only a small chance that someone may develop COVID-19 after leaving quarantine. The small risk that someone may develop COVID-19 after a shortened strict quarantine period is outweighed by the expected benefit of reduced transmission from the expected increased cooperation with adherence to the quarantine, according to the CDC.

  • The majority of COVID-19 cases have incubation periods fewer than 10 days, although the possible incubation period is still 14 days. During the quarantine period, people must not have visitors in their homes and they cannot have contact with other people who live in their homes.
  • The 14-day quarantine recommendation remains in place for any person experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms during the quarantine period, even if they have a negative test, and for those unwilling or unable to conduct active self-monitoring of symptoms.
  • Under the new guidance, people who have no symptoms and have either a negative PCR or antigen test taken on Day 5 or later, can be released on Day 8 (following 7 days of quarantine).
  • If the person does not have a test and does not have symptoms, they may be allowed to leave quarantine on Day 11 (following 10 days of quarantine).
  • Under either option, the individual must conduct active monitoring of their symptoms through Day 14 and get tested and isolate if they develop any sign of disease.
  • The guidance for a person who has tested positive for COVID-19 has not changed, which means they should stay in self-isolation for 10 days. They can resume public activities after the 10 days as long as they have gone for 24 hours without a fever and without taking fever-reducing medications like Tylenol and have experienced improvement in other symptoms, such as a cough that has gotten much better.

For the daily update Current Situation in Numbers for Massachusetts, please follow or Google the link below: COVID-19 Response Command Center Daily Situation Reports Continued from the November update and until notice is otherwise given, the Town of Savoy is enacting the following actions and closures to help slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus:

Town Office, 720 Main Road Closed to the general public: Staff will work regularly scheduled hours. Individuals who have business to conduct with town staff should contact staff to make appointments, essential business only. Emergency meetings: held as necessary following CDC guidelines for face masks and distancing.

Transfer Station and Compactor, 204 Chapel Road Open during regularly scheduled hours: The public is requested to take precautions and avoid close contact with each other and with the attendants. Swap Shop is closed.

Highway Garage, 262 Main Road Closed to the general public: Staff working regularly scheduled hours.

Savoy Fire Department, 17 Center Road Closed to the general public: Contact the department with any questions.

Savoy Elementary School, Chapel Road Open for staff and students, closed to the general public: Contact the NBSU office 413 664 9292 with any questions.

Contact Information: The address of the Town hall is 720 Main Road, Savoy, Massachusetts 01256. The phone number is 413-743- 4290. The fax number is 413-743-4292. The email is townofsavoy720@gmail.com. All these avenues of communication will be checked regularly.

Please continue to follow the guidelines below and stay safe:

  • Frequently wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds
  • Cover your mouth and nose when sneezing or coughing
  • Use cleaning products to help with regular, thorough cleaning of surfaces you touch frequently.
  • If you are sick… stay home! Contact your doctor; do not attend work, or other public gatherings.
  • Social Distancing Basics: Call or online chat with friends and loved ones. If you go out: Avoid crowds, Wear a Face Mask, Stay 6 feet away from others ü don’t shake hands or hug.
  • If emergency medical attention is needed please dial 911 for ambulance service, the Savoy Fire Department will be assisting Adams Ambulance.

Get plenty of sleep, eat well, avoid stress, and try to stay in good shape. Your chances of recovering from just about any sickness have a lot to do with how you were doing before you got it.

Residents can contact the toll-free hotline (Including testing) set up by Berkshire Medical Center to help with questions/concerns. The number is (855) BMC-LINK and is available from 7 am – 7 pm. Or call the NBREPC hotline 1- 413-662-3614, email nbcovid@gmail.com for general information. More information is available at https://www.berkshirehealthsystems.org/body.cfm?id=4261&fr=true .The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also has helpful information at: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html The Massachusetts Department of Public Health also provides daily updates on Massachusetts-specific information and resources at: https://www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19

Savoy has secured public nursing services assistance from Berkshire Public Health Alliance to provide public health nursing services related to residents who have tested positive for COVID-19. Nursing services will contact these residents directly for help and guidance.

Questions from the General Public. The Select Board has continued this coverage thru FY2021.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and United Way 211 call and information service is now operating 24/7, and is answering calls for community members who are not sick, but would like to receive information related to COVID-19. Residents across the state can also sign up for the new text notification system including updates, news and prevention information by texting COVIDMA to 888-777. Also encourage your residents to sign up for your municipality’s outgoing-911 alert system (such as code red or similar).

For those needing emotional support during these stressful times:

  • Call 2-1-1 and choose the “CALL2TALK” option.
  • Call or text Samaritans 24/7 helpline at 877-870-4673.
  • The Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990, is a 24/7, 365-day-a-year, national hotline dedicated to providing immediate crisis counseling for people who are experiencing emotional distress related to any natural or human-caused disaster, including disease outbreaks like COVID-19. This toll-free, multilingual, and confidential crisis support service is available to all residents in the US and territories.

Again this is an ever changing situation. The select board and board of health will be evaluating regularly and will work to keep residents informed as additional measures are taken. The most current information will be available here on the town website, at townofsavoy.com and posted outside town hall.

Town of Savoy Select Board/Board of Health.