PROVINCETOWN — The entire nation got a new universal indoor masking advisory last week, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention put Provincetown squarely in the middle of their […]
Covid-19
PANDEMIC
Provincetown Brings Back Indoor Mask Mandate
Rising case count includes 171 Provincetown residents
PROVINCETOWN — The board of health and select board held their second emergency joint meeting in only seven days on July 25 and imposed an indoor mask mandate, effective immediately. […]
CONSPIRACIES
Misinformation on Covid Vaccines Abounds
The U.S. Surgeon General urges everyone to join the fight, a ‘moral imperative’
A bitter rift has opened between those vaccinated against Covid-19 and those who have chosen to remain unvaccinated. Evidence of it is easy to find: just check out the comments […]
PANDEMIC
‘Provincetown Cluster’ Now Has at Least 430 Cases, Officials Say
Select board calls emergency meeting for 5 p.m. Sunday, July 25
Editor’s note: This article has been updated with the latest information from local and county public health officials as of Saturday, July 24. We will continue to update as new […]
COVID-19
Baker Ends Nearly All Pandemic-Related Restrictions
Business closures, rules for gatherings will disappear May 29
PROVINCETOWN — Citing a first-in-the-nation vaccine rollout and a plummeting count of Covid-19 cases, Gov. Charlie Baker moved the state’s “end of restrictions” date from the previously announced Aug. 1 […]
COVID-19
Walk-In Vaccine Clinics Now Available
Everyone is eligible with a valid I.D.
PROVINCETOWN — Good news for the technologically challenged and the bad-at-planning: three vaccination sites on the Outer Cape are now offering the Covid-19 vaccine to walk-in patients. All you need […]
COUNTY LINE
We Need a Stronger, More Integrated Public Health System
Some powerful lessons learned from a year of pandemic
The daily Covid updates from the Barnstable County Health and Environment Dept. epidemiologist Vaira Harik continue to trend very favorably, with a few exceptions, and give us a genuine basis […]
STIMULI
Covid Relief Targets Outer Cape’s Smallest Businesses
Programs fill earlier gaps in CARES Act awards
PROVINCETOWN — When much of the American economy was forced to shut down last March due to Covid, Congress passed trillions of dollars of relief spending in just weeks. There […]
ELDER CARE
Privacy Protections Leave Gaps in Covid Death Reports
Data from assisted living facilities are mostly blacked out
PROVINCETOWN — When it comes to Covid, Massachusetts is pro-data. The Dept. of Public Health (DPH) publishes a weekly Covid report, daily Covid updates, and a weekly report on vaccinations. […]
THE ROAD TO NORMAL
Glimmers of Hope for Vaccinations on the Outer Cape
Community health centers could provide alternative to mass sites
PROVINCETOWN — When it comes to allocating Covid resources, Cape Cod has been treated like a distant afterthought. The state hasn’t opened a free Stop the Spread testing site here, […]
CHASING THE NUMBERS
State Undercounts Outer Cape Covid Cases
Rapid test results are not included in state reports
PROVINCETOWN — The Covid testing program at Outer Cape Health Services (OCHS), which relies on rapid BinaxNOW tests provided by the state, has been a local success story. The tests […]
THE ROAD TO NORMAL
Delay in Vaccinating Educators Causes Outcry
Teachers’ unions and administrators make joint plea to governor
School administrators and teachers’ unions are often at odds with each other, but on Cape Cod, both sides agree on the need for educators to get vaccinated against Covid-19 as […]
THE ROAD TO NORMAL
Heartburn and Heartache in Vaccine Rollout
Hopes for quick access were raised, then dashed
PROVINCETOWN — Massachusetts had a plan for rolling out the Covid vaccine. First up would be the entire health-care industry, police and fire depts., and congregate living facilities where large […]
COVID AND SCHOOLS
Provincetown Students Head Back to Classrooms
Three positive cases lead to two-week quarantine
PROVINCETOWN — Students in pre-kindergarten through 8th grade are on track to return to school on Monday, after a staff member’s positive Covid test prompted a 14-day switch to remote […]
THE CLOTH
Where Faith Leaders Find Solace
Humbled by not having answers, they work, garden, and hum
PROVINCETOWN — Kate Wilkinson is tired. Which is no surprise. Who isn’t? It’s hardly controversial to write that hardly anything is going well right now. (I ask Tom Ryan, former […]
