17 April, 2020
Previous updates and additional information and resources can be found here: www.hopkintonma.gov/covid-19
While Town Hall and municipal buildings are physically closed to the public, we are open for business. Many transactions can be completed online, and we are available via phone and email to assist during regular business hours. A full Town Directory can be found here. A box at the front door of Town Hall may be used to drop off correspondence, applications, etc., and they may also be mailed or emailed. Parks, Playgrounds and Playing Fields are closed.
As of 11:00 a.m. on 4/17/20, Hopkinton’s Health Department is reporting 25 total confirmed
COVID-19 cases; 8 of those cases are active, with 16 recoveries and 1 death. You can see
historical tracking and updates on Hopkinton’s Community Impact Dashboard:
https://arcg.is/15Wj8C
Health officials report that the Commonwealth is in the middle of the surge phase of the
COVID-19 virus. This surge is expected to continue for at least another 10 days, if not longer.
During this time, local case numbers may not accurately reflect the infections in our community.
There is no way to accurately determine the number of infected, but asymptomatic, individuals.
I.e. - you may be a “carrier” without knowing you are sick. This is a critical time to help stop the
spread. Please stay home, and if you must go out, wear a mask, go out only for what you need
and practice social distancing.
Hopkinton Urges Runners to Stay Home on Patriots Day - NEW UPDATE
With the announcement of the postponement of the 2020 Boston Marathon to Monday,
September 14, the Hopkinton Select Board is strongly urging runners to refrain from coming to
the start line in Hopkinton or attempting to run the marathon course on Monday, April 20.
Click following link for more info:
https://www.hopkintonma.gov/Press%20Release%20Stay%20Home%20on%20Patriots'%20%20Day.pdf
Click following link to see a video message from Tedy Bruschi:
https://twitter.com/marty_walsh/status/1250856105489633286
Virtual Town Hall Office Hours - NEW UPDATE
Hopkinton continues to explore options for ways to best serve our residents during this unique
time. To that end, we are pleased to offer a pilot program that will begin on Tuesday 4/21/2020.
Click following link for more information
https://www.hopkintonma.gov/Virtual%20Town%20Hall%20Office%20Hours%20Pre...
Hopkinton Public Schools - NEW UPDATE
Although it is more challenging in our remote learning environment, prioritizing the safety and
health of all of our students remains foremost in our thinking. As such, when a student has not
been in “virtual contact” with teachers, the Hopkinton Public Schools may request a wellness
check to be conducted by one of our School Resource Officers.
As always, students and families with food needs should reach out to Food Services Director
Michelle Babin at mbabin@hopkinton.k12.ma.us
Surveys regarding remote instruction will be coming out to families early next week.
Expanded reporting - NEW UPDATE
Expanded Data Reporting Secretary Sudders announced that, for the first time, the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health will release a breakdown of novel coronavirus
cases by city and town, as the state takes additional steps to assess and report the burden of
infection across the Commonwealth. The town-level data, which will be updated each
Wednesday, marks the latest in a series of new data reports and information that the Command
Center and DPH have made publicly available. These new reports augment the COVID-19
dashboard which is published each day at 4pm. See the links below to find the reports.
● Daily dashboard data are published:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-cases-quarantine-and-monitori...
● Cases, city/town, & hospital facility data are published:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-cases-quarantine-and-monitoring
● PPE distribution data are published:
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/personal-protective-equipment-ppe-duri...
● Hospital capacity published data are published:
https://www.mass.gov/covid-19-hospital-capacity-and-surge-response
**Hopkinton will continue to update our Community Impact Dashboard on a daily basis (Monday
- Friday). Click here to be taken to the Dashboard.
Update on Contact Tracing - NEW UPDATE
On April 3, the Baker-Polito Administration announced an initiative to mitigate the spread of
COVID-19 in Massachusetts through contact tracing. Working with Partners in Health,
Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to develop a program to trace individuals who
have tested positive for COVID-19 as well as their immediate contacts who may have been
exposed to the virus. Through a team of leading medical experts working with the Department of
Public Health, this program has already hired 176 employees to do contact tracing by phone,
and hundreds of additional staff will be trained and onboarded in the coming weeks. Residents
who receive a phone call from the Contact Tracing Collaborative are urged to take the call and
provide the relevant information.
Massachusetts Frontline Worker Resources - NEW UPDATE
In an effort to connect frontline workers with various supports such as free/discounted meals,
guidance on accessing PPE and priority testing, emergency child care, and alternate housing
options, the Attorney General’s Office developed the Frontline Workers Resource website. The
website can be accessed at https://www.frontlinema.org/
Updates to Essential Services Guidance - NEW UPDATE
The State announced significant updates to previous guidelines for COVID-19 Essential
Services that are allowed under Governor Baker’s state of emergency order. This information is
important for Hopkinton businesses as it specifically clarifies questions related to
brick-and-mortar operations, ecommerce, and curbside pick-up. Read the updated guidelines
and FAQs here.
Senior Services and Senior Center:
Hopkinton Senior Center staff continue to be available if you have questions, concerns, need
assistance obtaining food or have any other need during this time. If you are interested in
obtaining a mask please let us know. Please contact us at 508-497-9730. Leave a message
and your call will be returned promptly.
“Senior Center Without Walls” - check out the Senior Center website and Facebook page to see
what virtual programs are available. New programs are being added weekly that cover
exercise, language study, cooking and more! There are virtual coffee hours every week to
catch up with old and new friends. If you need assistance accessing these programs, please
call 508-497-9730 and we can help you connect.
Youth and Family Services:
New resources have been added to our the extensive resource list for COVID19: Y&FS Basic
Needs Resource Sheet for COVID19
Most recently MindWise has created a comprehensive page dedicated to strengthening mental
health during this crisis including mental health support for businesses, identifying and
managing anxiety, selfcare and other behavioral health support . Check it out here:
https://www.mindwise.org/covid-19/
Stay Updated & More Resources:
You can find many resources and more information at
https://coronavirus-hopkintonma.hub.arcgis.com/
Hopkinton also posts frequently on social media. Our Twitter is the best place to keep up with
all happenings Hopkinton. You don’t need an account to see our twitter feed:
https://twitter.com/HopkintonMA
Complete list of Emergency Orders and Guidance from Mass.gov
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-state-of-emergency
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Please note - Hopkinton briefings for next week are scheduled for Tuesday and Thursday
afternoon. Follow us on twitter for interim updates: https://twitter.com/HopkintonMA
