Town Investigating New Cluster of COVID-19 Cases Linked to Private Club in Town

Town of East Bridgewater
Board of Health
175 Central Street,
East Bridgewater, MA 02333

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, Dec. 2, 2020

Contact: Matthew Reid
Phone: 781-428-3299
Email: matt@jgpr.net

Town of East Bridgewater Investigating New Cluster of COVID-19 Cases Linked to Private Club in Town

EAST BRIDGEWATER — The Board of Health reports that the Town of East Bridgewater has seen a rise in positive COVID-19 cases — many tied to a new cluster that has been identified — and continues to urge all residents to follow the latest COVID-19 prevention methods as outlined by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

According to the public health data released by the DPH on Friday, Nov. 27, the town’s designation was “Yellow,” or a “Medium Risk” community. The town had reported 27 positive cases over the previous 14-day period, and an average daily incidence rate of 13 per 100,000 residents. These figures are expected to rise significantly when the state releases new data later this week, due in large part to the identified cluster.

East Bridgewater public health officials are investigating a cluster of cases that emerged this week that has been traced to the Commercial Club, a private club in town. The East Bridgewater Board of Health is advising anyone who was at the club between Nov. 16-27 to get tested for COVID-19, as they may have been exposed to the virus.

The Commercial Club has fully cooperated with all contact tracing and sent notifications to all members explaining the situation. The club has remained in close communication with public health officials since the cluster was identified.

Club leaders have decided, out of an abundance of caution, to remain closed until Tuesday, Dec. 15. While closed, the club will undergo a deep cleaning of all surfaces and will implement additional safety measures to ensure a safe reopening later this month.

"We are asking anyone who was at the Commercial Club during the specified period of Nov. 16-27 to please not wait to be officially contacted by the Board of Health or Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC), and should follow quarantine guidance set by the state," Susan Mulloy, of the East Bridgewater Board of Health, said. "We have been contacting identified cases and contacts as quickly as possible, however, we realize there may be many more people yet to be identified and we hope residents do the responsible thing and quarantine in order to stop the spread of the virus for the sake of the entire community."

Anyone who has questions can call the Board of Health for guidance 508-378-1612 or visit a local testing site.

The closest Stop the Spread testing site is located in Brockton on the campus of Massasoit Community College. For information about testing availability through the Stop the Spread initiative, click here, and for more information on other nearby testing locations, click here.

Residents are urged to increasingly and aggressively practice social distancing, wear face coverings in public and limit their interactions with anyone who lives outside of their household. Residents are also encouraged to get tested for COVID-19 if they have any symptoms (abdominal pain, chills, cough, headaches, fever, diarrhea, loss of appetite, loss of taste/smell, muscle aches/pains, shortness of breath, sore throat or vomiting) or if they have been a close contact of a positive case.
 

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A message from the Town of East Bridgewater and the East Bridgewater Board of Health