BARNSTABLE (MA) April 10, 2020 – The Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC) held a conference call on Thursday, April 9, 2020, at 4:00 p.m. to review the current COVID-19 conditions, discussed ongoing response efforts in the county, and assessed storm weather conditions expected into Friday morning. Individuals present on the call included over 100 representatives from agencies across Cape Cod’s 15 towns and Nantucket, including elected officials, representatives from Cape Cod Healthcare and several nonprofits engaged in responding to COVID-19.
Updates and guidance
BCREPC Multi-Agency Coordination Center (MACC) continues to operate as a limited activation in response to COVID-19 from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM daily. At the time of this call, the MACC was also monitoring a coastal flood advisory in effect until 8:00 AM EDT Friday, April 10, and a wind advisory in effect until 9:00 PM EDT April 9. As a result of weather, the COVID-19 test site at Cape Cod Community College closed early yesterday at 4:30PM.
Barnstable County is anticipating an increase in positive COVID-19 cases across Barnstable County over the next two weeks. The MACC remains focused on its efforts to assist with resource requests from various agencies across Cape Cod, especially for personal protective equipment (PPE), for the COVID-19 test site at Cape Cod Community College, supporting testing operations with Cape Cod Healthcare, and handling resources for first responders. To date, the MACC has arranged over 40 truck deliveries of supplies to Police and Fire Departments, group homes, and other agencies.
According to Massachusetts Department of Public Health, there were 423 positive cases in Barnstable County at the time of this call and 11 deaths on Cape Cod.
The BCREPC wants to ensure that Barnstable County residents know that a coordinated response is taking place in our region. Over the next two weeks especially, the general public is asked to help slow the spread by limiting movement outside of their homes beyond what is necessary to take care of essentials. The BCREPC encourages all citizens to wear a mask, maintain a physical distance of at least 6 feet, and wash hands for at least 20 seconds. For more information, visit www.barnstablecountyhealth.org/
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Barnstable County Regional Emergency Planning Committee (BCREPC)
The BCREPC was founded in September 2002 to assist the communities on Cape Cod and the Town of Nantucket with addressing hazardous materials emergency planning and response as required by the federal government. Today, the BCREPC has expanded its scope to include “All Hazard” emergency planning issues such as storm response, sheltering and grants management. The BCREPC is a coalition of emergency management, law enforcement, fire service, health care, public health, public works, EMS, military, and numerous other affiliated agencies as outlined by the Massachusetts State Emergency Response Committee (SERC). It represents the towns of Barnstable, Bourne, Brewster, Chatham, Dennis, Eastham, Falmouth, Harwich, Mashpee, Orleans, Provincetown, Sandwich, Truro, Wellfleet, and Yarmouth in Barnstable County, and the town of Nantucket in Nantucket County. The REPC is coordinated by the Barnstable County Department of Health and Environment. Visit www.bcrepc.org