IPSWICH – Town Manager Anthony Marino and Public Health Director Colleen Fermon provide the following important announcements for residents about navigating the COVID-19 pandemic.
As the Town moves into the third year of this pandemic, the Public Health Department is moving away from public health emergency response and towards a model of risk reduction and personal responsibility.
Most COVID-19 cases will not be contacted by the Public Health Department. Additionally, close contact notifications will fall to the individual cases, especially since home testing is growing in popularity. Guidance for identifying close contacts can be viewed by visiting https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/determine-close-contacts.html
Residents DO NOT have to contact the Public Health Department should a home test show a positive COVID-19 result. Residents may contact the Public Health Department at 978-356-6606 with questions or concerns.
Isolation and quarantine guidance for the general population can be found by visiting https://ipswichcovid19.com/ and https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-isolation-and-quarantine-guidance-for-the-general-public
Workers in schools, childcare and certain health-care settings have specific isolation and quarantine standards for returning to their workplaces, as do children returning to school or childcare. These standards apply to their specific setting ONLY. All individuals must follow isolation and quarantine guidance for the general population when outside of those settings.
Vaccinations and masking are risk reduction tools that will help keep residents safe. Vaccinations have been proven to reduce the risk of infections, hospitalizations and deaths.
