PROVINCETOWN — Bernice Burchman is 92 and has Stage 4 lung cancer, and yet her son Howard said his mom has been thriving ever since he took her out of […]
Health & Healthcare
COVID-19
Health Board Wants Masks at Town Hall
Mandatory workplace safety standards may be imposed in Wellfleet
WELLFLEET — The board of health is considering a set of mandatory safety standards for municipal workplaces after a visit to town hall set off alarms last week. Health Agent […]
COVID UPDATE
Eastham Student Is First in District to Get Virus
Entire fifth-grade class sent home to quarantine
EASTHAM — The fifth-grade class at Eastham Elementary School will be quarantined for 14 days and educated remotely after a student tested positive for Covid-19 last week. Principal William Crosby […]
ELDER AFFAIRS
Seashore Point Residents Say Condo Agreement Is Fraudulent
The basic residency contract created by Deaconess Abundant Life is at issue
PROVINCETOWN — The owners of two units at the Residences at Seashore Point are about to file suit against the company that controls the senior living community and its adjoining […]
public health
E. Coli Found in Wellfleet Town Water
Many residents are missed by initial warning to boil water
WELLFLEET — The discovery of E. coli bacteria in the town’s public water supply led to a “boil water order” from the state on Saturday evening. Occupants of the 290 […]
HEALTH
MassHealth Clients Find No Dental Care on Outer Cape
The OCHS−Harbor Health practice will not reopen
WELLFLEET — Liberty Schilpp’s middle-school-age children have already had four different dentists and are about to meet number five, this one in South Dennis. The problem is not a dearth […]
HEALTH
How the Outer Cape Dodged the Covid Bullet
Visitors took cues from good behavior of local residents
TRURO — Summer 2020 came and went with nearly the usual influx of tourists, many of them from metropolitan areas with far higher incidence of Covid-19. But the infection rate […]
MOVEMENT
Does Your Home Work Station Need a Check-up?
Good ergonomics to keep your body working for you
Back in March, you set up your laptop on the dining room table and the kids took to the couch with their devices. You figured you could make do — […]
TOWN MEETING PREVIEW
Truro Pulls Firefighter Override off Warrant
Provincetown fire chief says he’ll stick with Lower Cape Ambulance
TRURO — Town meeting may feel more like recess this year, as voters gather outdoors at the Truro Central School ballfield at noon on Saturday, Sept. 26. Even the warrant […]
PANDEMIC WAVES
Covid Infection Patterns Shift
Cape Cod’s July cases look different from last spring’s
PROVINCETOWN — Look closely, and Barnstable County’s graphs of new Covid cases and deaths tell a story. There’s an upward swell of discovered cases that begins a couple weeks after […]
PUBLIC HEALTH
‘Please Talk,’ Say Coronavirus Contact Tracers
Key Covid containment measure works only if people cooperate
PROVINCETOWN — Massachusetts is ramping up efforts to find positive cases of coronavirus. Asymptomatic screening programs are being expanded around the state, and Provincetown recently announced it will begin a […]
PERSONAL HISTORY
‘Who Have I Doomed?’
Timeline of a coronavirus scare
TRURO — As my close friend and neighbor calmly explained to me on the phone that he had a high fever and was showing potential coronavirus symptoms, my eyes drifted […]
HELP LINES
Wellfleet, Taking Cue from Provincetown, Dials In on Mental Health
Community members are on call, so no one has to go it alone
Editor’s note: In the Aug. 6 print edition of the Independent the Well Line’s phone number was incorrect. The correct number has been substituted below. WELLFLEET — “We all have to go […]
THE NEW NORMAL
Wait Time for Covid Test Results Presents Challenge
Screening efforts are increasing, but cost and speed matter
PROVINCETOWN — The goal is clear and workable: at some point, we’ll be able to systematically screen for coronavirus, identify asymptomatic carriers early, and effectively squelch community spread. What we […]
NO FREE LUNCH
Summer Food Program Takes a Hit From Covid-19
About 600 children go without lunch for a day
After a kitchen worker tested positive for Covid-19 on Friday, the region’s entire federally supported free lunch program, which spans Harwich to Provincetown, was shut down on Monday. Thirteen staffers […]
