LOWELL — Worried about rising coronavirus numbers in Lowell, city officials are undertaking a new messaging campaign they hope will reinforce the need for people to be safe when celebrating Thanksgiving and other upcoming holidays.
“It’s a scary prospect to me. It keeps me up at night, what’s going to happen after Thanksgiving,” city Director of Health and Human Services Joanne Belanger said. “I know people want to do big dinners. I know they want to see relatives. Believe me, I understand. But at the same time, we are in an unprecedented time. We are dealing with a virus that doesn’t care what day it is, or that it’s Thanksgiving, and isn’t taking the day off.”
As the number of cases rise, City Manager Eileen Donoghue said she feels it’s important that the city do what it can to try to bring it to people’s attention and ensure that everybody has the opportunity to celebrate Thanksgiving safely.
“There’s been a great deal of, I think, fatigue, that people have around COVID and the pandemic, but now is not the time to let down our guard,” Donoghue said.
As part of the effort, the city will send direct mailers in English, Spanish and Khmer out to all residents with advice on how to safely celebrate Thanksgiving.
People should, for instance, wear a mask when they’re not eating or drinking, keep a distance of 6 feet from others, wash their hands and open windows and doors for more ventilation, Donoghue said.
They shouldn’t share food from the same plate or share drinks, and instead of shaking hands or hugging, it’s better to wave and verbally greet others, she said. People shouldn’t attend gatherings if they are sick or have symptoms, and shouldn’t gather with those who are at high risk due to age and medical conditions, Donoghue said. State guidance also limits gatherings to no more than 10 people, she said.
“If you must have a gathering, keep it small, and you really should be keeping it to the people that are in your bubble,” Belanger said.
Donoghue said later this month the city will also advertise on ClearChannel billboards around Lowell with messaging related to masks and other tips to help keep residents safe. This is in addition to the roughly 80 sandwich boards with similar messages already in neighborhoods and regular social media posts.
She said medical experts continue to say that masks are one of the most effective tools in limiting the spread of the virus.
According to figures available on the city website, Lowell saw 789 coronavirus cases and one death from Oct. 29 through Nov. 13. The Highlands had the most cases at 159 — not including 92 cases in the Lower Highlands — followed by Centralville with 119 cases. The city saw an additional 88 cases on Saturday, 121 cases on Sunday and 64 Monday, Donoghue said.
“These numbers are steady and they are some of the highest we’ve seen since April, when we were at the height of the cases,” she said.
Donoghue said about 70% of cases now are among those ages 40 and younger, a “direct contrast” to the higher numbers of older people that were infected in the spring. In the Oct. 29 to Nov. 13 data, 169 cases were among those age 19 and younger, while the 20-29 and 30-39 age groups had 161 cases each. There were only 41 cases among those 70 and older.
In the summer and early fall, Lowell had positivity rates as low as 1% to 2%, Donoghue said, and now it’s up to 6.45%.
Belanger described the recent cases as being evident of communitywide spread. She said much of the clusters have been driven by workplaces, places of worship — especially where there is singing — day cares and gatherings of family and friends. Though there have been some instances of food and service workers, she said restaurants and stores have not been major drivers of infections.
Belanger said the city has continued working with long-term care facilities to make sure COVID protocols are being followed and provide assistance when any issue arises, such as in a recent cluster at D’Youville Life & Wellness Community that did not result in any deaths.
During the height of the first wave, as most people remained socially distanced, contact tracing usually only involved one or two contacts, Belanger said. Now, as more has reopened, contact tracing may mean contacting as many as 12 or more contacts, similar to pre-shutdown numbers, she said.
She said she’s especially concerned with the growth in cases among school-age children, who can also be asymptomatic carriers and infect other family members. She encouraged parents and other caregivers to reinforce with their children good behaviors around mask wearing, hand washing and social distancing.
Nearly all boards and committees in the city have been meeting remotely throughout the pandemic, except for the City Council and School Committee, which have recently been meeting in person with public participation by Zoom.
Councilor Bill Samaras said Monday he is considering entering a motion to have the City Council return to fully remote meetings for the foreseeable future, due to the rising case numbers and the risk associated with having all of the councilors, Donoghue and her team present at meetings.
Samaras said most people don’t have their masks on, or at least don’t while they are speaking, and meetings can be hours long, increasing the potential for problems. It sends a conflicting message to residents to see that and also be told they have to wear masks and distance, he said.
“I think as City Councilors, we have to be examples to the community,” Samaras said.
Belanger said she would hate to see a holiday celebration result in someone not being able to attend next year because they’re no longer around. She said she understands the desire for some normalcy, and nobody is more fed up with coronavirus than her and her staff, who have been working seven days a week through the pandemic.
“Unfortunately, we can’t just wish it away,” Belanger said. “We can’t pretend it’s not happening,”
