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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-05-07 Board of Health Minutes North Andover Board of Health Meeting Minutes Thursday—May 7,2020 7:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting Present: Frank MacMillan,Joseph McCarthy,Patrick Scanlon,Michelle Davis,Daphne Alva-LaFluer,Brian LaGrasse,Stephen Casey Jr,Caroline Ibbitson and Toni K.Wolfenden. I. CALL TO ORDER The meeting called to order at 7:09 pm. Pursuant to Governor Baker's March 12,2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law,G.L.c.30A, Section 18,and the Governor's March 15,2020 Order imposing strict limitation on the number of people that may gather in one place,this meeting of the North Andover Board of Health will be conducted via remote participation to the greatest extent possible. Specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the Town's website,at www.northandoverma.gov. For this meeting, members of the public who wish to watch the meeting may do so on their televisions by tuning to Comcast Channel 8 or Verizon Channel 26 or online at www.northandovercam.ors. No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted,but every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time,via technological means. In the event that we are unable to do so,despite best efforts,we will post on the Town of North Andover website an audio or video recording, transcript,or other comprehensive record of proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting. If the public would like to participate in public hearings please email your question/comment prior to or during the meeting to blagrasse(a)northandoverma.gov The question/comment will be read during the proceedings and responded to accordingly. II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Meeting Minutes from April 9,2020 were presented for signature. Motion was made by Joseph McCarthy to approve the minutes,the motion was seconded by Michelle Davis,all were in favor and the minutes were approved.(5-0-0) III. COMMUNICATIONS,ANNOUNCEMENTS,AND DISCUSSION A. Brian LaGrasse updates the Board of Health on Covid19. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts currently has 73,721 cases of Covidl9,which is an increase of 1500 to 2000 cases per day. It is still increasing however;it is leveling off in terms of total numbers for the past three plus weeks. In the Commonwealth,there have been 3500 hospitalizations,which is also level for the past month. Numbers have plateaued. Holy Family Hospital has 23 ICU beds taken;Lawrence General has 14 ICU 2019 North Andover Board of Health Meeting Page 1 of 4 Board of Health Members:Dr.Francis P.MacMillan,Jr.,MD,Chairman/Town Physician;Joseph McCarthy,Member/Clerk; Michelle Davis,RN,Member;Daphnee Alva-LaFleur,Member;Patrick Scanlon,DO,Member Health Department Staff: Brian LaGrasse,Health Director;Stephen Casey Jr.,Health Inspector;Caroline Ibbitson,Public Health Nurse;Toni K. Wolfenden,Health Department Assistant beds. The positive cases have jumped up to 30%yesterday,but that would be in result of the 6000 tests administrated in the state. Governor Baker issued the all mask order which went into effect May 6. This supersedes the original order that the North Andover Board of Health put in place for food and retail employees. The Commonwealth of Massachusetts order is stricter and more inclusive of everybody out in public. The Governor has relaxed some non-essential business restrictions. This allows some businesses to call employees to fill online and over-the-phone orders for delivery or shipping. Golf courses have been allowed to open however, 19 conditions must be met. Discussions have centered around re-openings of various entities. Preparations have begun on how to re-open town hall and town offices. Brian also met with the task force from Merrimack College and began discussions about this fall,and bringing employees back in the summer. Brooks School reached out to Brian as well. Several businesses have reached out to the health department about re-opening guidance. Recommendations have centered around the businesses evolving or modifying what they do,and create a new business model that can include social distancing,employee protections, consumer protections,contactless payment options,and online bookings or orders. Businesses should do a self-evaluation and evolve to meet the new normal. The limitation that has been placed on staff and the general public is based on 40%of the occupancy capacity. Some of the stores have placed it on themselves by calculating their own numbers,which is less than the 40%of the occupancy. The building department determines the occupancy capacity. For the non-essential businesses,occupancy is based on number of employees and square footage of space,but they are only packaging the merchandise for shipment or delivery. Brian has been meeting with officials about protocols for the election,which is June 2. The protocols are for poll workers,social distancing,booth set up,and mask protocols. Town Meeting has been postponed until June 16,protocols are under review for this as- well. Caroline Ibbitson gives the update on Covid19 for the Town of North Andover. The numbers for the town have been waxing and waning. Most of the large jumps have been from long-term care facilities that have initiated the National Guard on doing site wide testing. The National Guard tests all staff and residents whether they are symptomatic or not. The Town of North Andover has 235 cases, almost half of this number are recovered and out of isolations,and there have been 15 deaths. Some of the numbers are from home and others from long-term care facilities. All are elderly with pre-existing conditions. Caroline has been keeping up to date on all of the new and changing criteria that is being released from the Commonwealth. The infectious period and isolation duration for health care workers used to be 7 days from the date that they started with symptoms,and 3 days fever-free without improvement of their respiratory symptoms,currently it has been extended to 10 days in isolation. This is because of viral shedding around day nine. Caroline has been working with cases and helping residents with questions and concerns. A common question is about antibody tests. Positive antibody tests are now treated as a positive nasal swab. Stephen Casey continues to field complaints,answer general questions and respond as needed. He monitors public fields and spaces. He has developed Public Service Announcements(PSA)related to the non-essential business extension and on the mask and face covering order. Information on food establishments has been released to businesses that have voluntarily closed or altered their hours. Stephen has been reaching out to various restaurants for pre- operational inspections. A new food inspection form was developed with Megan Baldwin, Sweet Safe, with a focus on Covid19. Stephen has been assisting Brian with the re-opening of town hall. Recently,Joseph McCarthy had a Covid19 test,which he shared his experience with the Board. Joe had a severe cold. He believed he needed an antigen test. This test will let people know if they are carrying the virus,which can contaminate other people. Joe went to his primary care physician;the doctor gave him a script to go to Holy Family Hospital,Haverhill for the test. Joe waited in his car, and the swab test was administered. Four to five days later the results came back negative. An antibody test is to see if a person has had the virus and recovered. This is a blood test. Joe had this test performed at Quest Diagnostic,Methuen and is waiting for results. Caroline explains that the swab test is sensitive to picking up the virus;however,there is a technique to gathering the specimen. If the swab is not done accurately,it could result in a false negative. The antibody test is still being developed and is not perfect. If any test results in a positive,Caroline is notified for tracking purposes and support. Daphnee Alva-LeFluer has requested additional support on educating the public with social distancing and wearing facial masks.Individual citizens should not confront people not wearing masks;they should socially distance. The orders do exempt facial masks for medical conditions.Cloth masks are available through the senior center. Call(978)-688-9560 to make an appointment for pick up. Frank Macmillan has asked about the emergency orders made by the Town Manager and the Board of Health. The Personal Service Order,which was prior to the Governor issuing his essential versus non-essential business lists,is now superseded by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts order. The town's Personal Service Order expired on April 7. The second order for the town was about masks. The Governor has put in place the entire state mask order with exemptions and conditions, which supersedes our local board of health order. The local board of health must maintain the Commonwealth of Massachusetts order. The Town Manager's Emergency Order is still ongoing until North Andover Board of Health Meeting Minutes Thursday—May 7,2020 7:00 p.m. Virtual Meeting lifted. Frank MacMillan has requested that the April 23,2020 Emergency Order for Employees of Grocery Stores and other Food Retailers be placed on the May 28,2020 meeting agenda to discuss an amendment to place an expiration date. Frank MacMillan begins the discussion on sanctioning people who do not follow the emergency order. The Board of Health wishes to maximize compliance and minimize conflict. The Governor has given the board of health the authority to give a written warning for the first offense with a civil citation of a fine up to$300 for the second and any other subsequent offense. This is the same mechanism used to issue fines for any other regulation violation (Massachusetts General Law Chapter 21,Chapter 40 Section 21d)gives a local authority to issue non- criminal disposition fines of up to$300. The intent is to get people to comply and wear a mask. The goal is to educate and discuss why one should wear a mask. Dr.Patrick Scanlon discusses the ICU rounds in the New Hampshire hospital,which he is employed.Dr. Scanlon worked a 7-day rotation,30 bed ICU that was extremely busy. Only a small proportion were Covid19 patients. Patients are delaying seeking medical attention for issues other than Covidl9 which is resulting in people being admitted to the hospital critically ill. He has begun to see patients the office. Over the next month,the transition will be from 100%telephone/tele health to about 60%and 40%in office. The goal will be reached at the end of July into August. Dr.Frank MacMillan works in Exeter,NH. The decision was made today to resume doing routine endoscopy and anything that was considered non-urgent. The delay of care is a concern. On April 27,2020,the practice has begun clearing the high priority list but they are finding 40 to 50%of the surgical patients are afraid to come into the hospital. Patients have been being tested before procedures for Covidl9 but would not self-quarantine. Clinic patients have been having their temperature checked before entering,wearing masks and getting a questionnaire. Patrick has heard of a report that there are 80,000 undiagnosed cancer cases within the United States because of delayed care. Patrick recommends call your primary care doctor because great deal can be accomplished by tele-health and orders can be written for testing without going into the office. Brian LaGrasse will begin a public service announcement encouraging people to reach out to their doctors. IV. ADJOURNMENT MOTION made by Patrick Scanlon to adjourn the meeting.Michelle Davis seconded the motion and all were in favor.The meeting adjourned at 8:15 pm. 2019 North Andover Board of Health Meeting Page 3 of 4 Board of Health Members:Dr.Francis P.MacMillan,Jr.,MD,Chairman/Town Physician;Joseph McCarthy,Member/Clerk; Michelle Davis,RN,Member;Daphnee Alva-LaFleur,Member;Patrick Scanlon,DO,Member Health Department Staff: Brian LaGrasse,Health Director;Stephen Casey Jr.,Health Inspector;Caroline Ibbitson,Public Health Nurse;Toni K. Wolfenden,Health Department Assistant Prepared by Toni K. Wolfenden, Health Dept.Assistant Reviewed by: All Board of Health Members&Brian LaGrasse, Health Director Signed by: Joseph McCarthy, Clerk of the Board Date Signed Documents Used At Meeting: Agenda Various PSAs North Andover Board of Health Agenda Thursday, May 7, 2020 7:00 p.m. OPEN SESSION VIRTUAL MEETING Live broadcast can be heard on www.northandovercam.org I. CALL TO ORDER II. APPROVAL OF MINUTES A. April 9,2020 III. COMMUNICATIONS,ANNOUNCEMENTS,AND DISCUSSION A. COVIDI9-Update B. Discussion on the March 19,2020 Order on the Closure of Personal Service Businesses IV. ADJOURNMENT Pursuant to Governor Baker's March 12, 2020 Order Suspending Certain Provisions of the Open Meeting Law, G.L. c. 30A, Section 18, and the Governor's March 15, 2020 Order imposing strict limitation on the number of people that may gather in one place, this meeting of the North Andover Board of Health will be conducted via remote participation to the greatest extent possible. Specific information and the general guidelines for remote participation by members of the public and/or parties with a right and/or requirement to attend this meeting can be found on the Town's website, at www.northandoverma.gov. For this meeting, members of the public who wish to watch the meeting may do so on their televisions by tuning to Comcast Channel 8 or Verizon Channel 26 or online at www.northandovercam.org. No in-person attendance of members of the public will be permitted, but every effort will be made to ensure that the public can adequately access the proceedings in real time, via technological means. In the event that we are unable to do so, despite best efforts, we will post on the Town of North Andover website an audio or video recording, transcript, or other comprehensive record of proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting. If the public would like to participate in public hearings please email your question/comment prior to or during the meeting to blagrasse(aD_northandoverma.gov The question/comment will be read during the proceedings and responded to accordingly. 2019 North Andover Board of Health Meeting-Meeting Agenda Page 1 of 1 Note: The Board of Health reserves the right to take items out of order and to discuss and/or vote on items that are not listed on the agenda. Board of Health Members: Dr.Frank MacMillan,Jr.,Chairman/Town Physician;Joseph McCarthy,Member/Clerk;Michelle Davis,RN,Member;Daphnee Alva-LaFleur,Member;Patrick Scanlon,D.O.,Member Health Department Staff:Brian LaGrasse, Health Director;Stephen Casey Jr.,Health Inspector; Caroline Ibbitson,Public Health Nurse;Toni K.Wolfenden,Health Department Assistant April 28, 2020 • SYTT LED I6g6 North Andover Health Department Community and Economic Development Division Update regarding Governor Baker's extension of Non-Essential Business Closure On April 28,2020 Governor Baker announced that the Non-Essential Business closure has been extended until May 18,2020 due to the ongoing covid-19 pandemic. As a reminder to the public,it is critical to continue social distancing practices to limit the transmission of the virus. So far,it is proven extremely effective and to be a predominant method of preventing the spread of the virus in communities. The better we do now,the quicker we will move forward! We all want to safely get back to business together. Noted below are ideas you already practice,and should continue following to help protect our community from the spread of the virus: • Continue Social Distancing measures-Keep 6 feet between yourself and other individuals when in public areas.Avoid congregate settings whenever possible. • Practice good hygiene habits-Frequently wash hands before and after entering public areas.If handwashing is not available,use a hand sanitizer at least 60% alcohol. Cover your coughs and sneezes,and avoid touching your face. • Stay home if sick-If you are sick or experiencing any symptoms from an illness,make sure to stay home to avoid spreading an illness to others. Stay home and be symptom free and fever free for 72 hours before going out again. • Wear a face covering-Whenever you are entering a public place like a retail store or a restaurant to grab a take-out order,wear a face covering that covers your mouth and nose.Face coverings may be part of a"new normal" once businesses begin to reopen again,so be prepared. Directions on making these can be found on the Health Department website under"General Guidance". We'd like to thank you for your cooperation so far,and for your continued efforts as we move forward.By working together,we can further mitigate the spread of the virus in our community,keep one another safe and get back to a new normal. For more information on covid-19,please visit our website at h2ps://www.northandoverma.gov/home/urgent-alerts/coronavirus-covid-19-updates. • • �YK1'LED I�� • North Andover Health Department Community and Economic Development Division Update regarding Mask in Public order from Governor Baker On May 1,2020 Governor Baker put forth an order that requires the wearing of masks or other facial coverings for all persons over the age of two when out in public, whether indoors or outdoors,in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. This order is effective starting Wednesday,May 6,2020 until lifted by the Governor. The purpose of this order is to help prevent community transmission of the covid-19 virus from person to person while in certain public areas. As you may know, one of the factors of this virus that makes it so easily transmissible is the fact that asymptomatic individuals can spread it without knowing. By implementing this order, those individuals who may be asymptomatic will be far less likely to pass the virus on to someone else and thus the public will be better protected as a whole. The North Andover Health Department is here to help provide guidance and resources regarding the Governor's order. For information on making a face covering for yourself,friends,family or other community members,please view the document "Making your own Mask" on the Health Department website. For information on correctly applying,using and removing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as face coverings/masks and gloves,please view the document on "Properly Using PPE". We would like to thank you all for your willingness to work with us as we continue to make our way through this pandemic. By working together to help prevent the spread of this virus in our community,we are also taking steps towards being able to eventually resume life as normal. For more information on covid-19,please visit the following websites: • http://northandoverma.gov/covidl9 • https://www.northandoverma.gov/health o See the tabs titled "COVID-19 General Guidance" or"COVID-19 Food Guidance" • https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-updates-and-information April 28,2020 For additional information on good practices for the general public or food retailers, please visitht!ps://www.northandoverma.gov/health and choose from either"COVID-19 General Guidance" or"COVID-19 Food Guidance".