Plymouth reducing event gathering limits, bringing back COVID-19 ambassadors

PLYMOUTH, Mass. — The Town of Plymouth is limiting gathering sizes as the town works to get a handle on a recent surge of COVID-19 cases.

Massachusetts entered the fourth and final phase of reopening Monday, increasing gathering limits for event venues and public settings to 100 people indoors and 150 people outdoors.

>> What you need to know: Phase 4 of reopening Massachusetts starts Monday

Plymouth’s Board of Health on Wednesday unanimously voted to restrict gathering limits for event venues and public settings to 60 people indoors and 100 people outdoors effective March 29. The board will review the reduced capacity limits at each of its bi-weekly meetings to see if they should be increased. The next meeting is scheduled for April 14.

Selectwoman Betty Cavacco told 1620Today she wants the board to reconsider the reduced capacity limits.

“I think we need to reconsider this action,” Cavacco told the news outlet. “How can we reduce numbers for a wedding and have 7,500 kids in school? I don’t agree with this!.”

Cavacco said her phone has been ringing non-stop from residents and business owners who are unhappy with the decision.

“People with weddings are in a total chaos,” she said. “Especially for these venues that have collected deposits and are barely surviving.”

Plymouth is one of 32 Massachusetts communities at high risk for COVID-19, according to the weekly COVID-19 report released Thursday by the Massachsuetts Department of Public Health.

Plymouth reported 179 new COVID-19 cases between March 19 and March 24. 164 new cases were reported the week prior.

Plymouth Public Health Department Director Karen Keane said a recent outbreak at the High Point Treatment Center is responsible for close to 50 cases. She said the case count could rise as the facility awaits the results of 50 recently conducted tests.

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While the state positivity rate is 2.01%, the rate in Plymouth is 6.35%. Plymouth has one of the highest average daily incident rates in the state, with 36.3 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 population over the last 14 days.

The board’s chairman, Barry Potvin, said he’d like the state health department to deploy a mobile testing unit to Plymouth to expand free COVID-19 testing opportunities and help the town get a handle on the uptick in cases.

Keane also announced the town is bringing back the COVID-19 Ambassadors starting this upcoming weekend. They’ll work seven days a week through the summer, focusing on handing out masks to people who aren’t wearing them while educating them on the importance of complying with the mandate.

“Compliance is slipping,” Potvin said. “People are getting much more careless about what they’re doing to prevent infection spread.”

Keane said the ambassadors will also work with the health department to help address complaints received about overcrowding and other COVID-19 violations at establishments.

She noted during their previous stint, the ambassadors focused on educating people who were not wearing a mask. She said with the mandate having been in place for a year now, the ambassadors could shift their focus from education to issuing a $50 fine for people who don’t comply.

>> Plymouth ‘COVID ambassadors’ gently remind people of mask mandates

Potvin said he’s also been informed the state health department is currently reviewing an application for a regional vaccination clinic at the Kingston Collection, however a final decision isn’t expected for another couple of weeks.

Cox Media Group