Several employees of a Cape Cod community center have tested positive for COVID-19, leading town officials to cancel the remainder of the summer recreation program.Nearly 190 kids, mostly middle school-aged, were enrolled in the program. Many are too young to be vaccinated against the coronavirus. Chatham town officials wrote in a statement that employees and several other close contacts tested positive over the weekend. “Out of an abundance of caution the Summer Recreation Program has been canceled for the rest of the session,” officials said. The staff members who tested positive were mainly administrators who had limited contact with the kids. Both employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and neither is showing any serious symptoms.”And once we have the test results back and we know if any of these seasonal staff that are really the ones that spend all day with the kids in their pod, whether there’s any issue there, we’ll be sure to get that information out to the parents,” said Dr. Robert Duncanson, director of Chatham’s Department of Natural Resources.Duncanson believes at least one of the infected staff members contracted the coronavirus while working at another job in food service.”We appear to know where this originated, if you will, at this other place of employment,” he said. “But where that person that kind of started it all, where they got it, I have no idea.”Families will receive a partial refund because of the early end of the program, which concluded one week early.”Everything had gone great to this point,” said Chatham Parks & Recreation Director Dan Tobin. “You know, everybody masked up inside and we were doing everything we could. We were keeping the building closed to the general public during the mornings while we were running the program. But, unfortunately, things still happened.”Chatham’s COVID-19 infection rate of 7.4 cases per 100,000 residents is below the statewide average in Massachusetts, according to the latest data from the state’s Department of Public Health.Town officials also said the program complied with all COVID-19 protocols required by the state licensing agency, the Massachusetts DPH and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.On Monday, workers used fogging machines to disinfect the inside of the Chatham Community Center.Massachusetts COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and fatalitiesMassachusetts vaccination progress
Several employees of a Cape Cod community center have tested positive for COVID-19, leading town officials to cancel the remainder of the summer recreation program.
Nearly 190 kids, mostly middle school-aged, were enrolled in the program. Many are too young to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.
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Chatham town officials wrote in a statement that employees and several other close contacts tested positive over the weekend.
“Out of an abundance of caution the Summer Recreation Program has been canceled for the rest of the session,” officials said.
The staff members who tested positive were mainly administrators who had limited contact with the kids. Both employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 and neither is showing any serious symptoms.
“And once we have the test results back and we know if any of these seasonal staff that are really the ones that spend all day with the kids in their pod, whether there’s any issue there, we’ll be sure to get that information out to the parents,” said Dr. Robert Duncanson, director of Chatham’s Department of Natural Resources.
Duncanson believes at least one of the infected staff members contracted the coronavirus while working at another job in food service.
“We appear to know where this originated, if you will, at this other place of employment,” he said. “But where that person that kind of started it all, where they got it, I have no idea.”
Families will receive a partial refund because of the early end of the program, which concluded one week early.
“Everything had gone great to this point,” said Chatham Parks & Recreation Director Dan Tobin. “You know, everybody masked up inside and we were doing everything we could. We were keeping the building closed to the general public during the mornings while we were running the program. But, unfortunately, things still happened.”
Chatham’s COVID-19 infection rate of 7.4 cases per 100,000 residents is below the statewide average in Massachusetts, according to the latest data from the state’s Department of Public Health.
Town officials also said the program complied with all COVID-19 protocols required by the state licensing agency, the Massachusetts DPH and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
On Monday, workers used fogging machines to disinfect the inside of the Chatham Community Center.