Appointments May Not Be Available At First In news that is likely to be welcome in Chatham and Orleans – demographically two of the oldest towns in New England – Gov. Charlie Baker announced this week that 75-and-older residents have been moved to the front of the line in Phase 2 of the state’s COVID-19 vaccine roll-out, with people 65 and older next in line. But local public health officials warn that, as of ...

  While the upward climb of COVID-19 cases continues unabated, Barnstable County officials are bringing more resources to bear on the pandemic, thanks to a boost from lawmakers. Your Questions About the COVID-19 Vaccine, Answered Under legislation filed by State Rep. Sarah Peake, D–Provincetown, and State Senator Julian Cyr, D–Truro, the state has absorbed the annual pension liability for retired...

For Lindsay Garre Bierwirth, co-owner with her husband Fred of the North Chatham fitness center Chatham Works, stepping up during the coronavirus pandemic is a way to show her young daughters that in hard times, you have to help others. “In the darkest times, you shine the brightest light,” Bierwirth said during a telephone interview last week. For several months now Bierwirth has opened her gym at 323 Orleans...

CHATHAM - Officials are investigating a cluster of COVID-19 cases among staff at the North Chatham Post Office and are urging anyone who has visited that location since Dec. 28 to watch for symptoms, speak with their doctor, and consider getting tested. On Saturday, town health officials were contacted by the Occupational Health Nurse Administrator for the New England Region of the Postal Service and learned t...

Chatham Records Another Death CHATHAM — The pandemic’s toll on Chatham is growing. In the span of a week, new cases caused three restaurant closures and prompted a new round of testing at Liberty Commons. And public health officials confirm that the town has now recorded its third fatality from COVID-19. “There was a death of a Chatham resident over the weekend who had tested positive for COVID-19,” Health ...

Gov. Baker Rolls Back Reopening   HARWICH — There has been a surge in COVID-19 cases in Harwich and across the Cape, which has forced the town to reevaluate work protocols for town employees.   “As of Nov. 30, the town has been operating under Step Two model,” Interim Town Administrator Joseph Powers told selectmen Monday night, referring to the second step of the t own’s pandemic work ...

The pages of this week’s paper are filled with distressing news about the pandemic. We’re in the midst of what public health officials call a “surge upon a surge,” with new cases spread at Thanksgiving gatherings being added to the seasonal surge associated with the onset of cold weather. But at long last, after months of bleak uncertainty, there’s light at the end of the tunnel. Vaccines are being rushed t...

Nine months ago when the coronavirus pandemic began, few could have predicted that medical experts would recommend that families not travel or get together during the holidays to avoid spreading the virus. “For nine months we’ve been seeing increasing isolation,” says Emily Mitchell, director of the Harwich Council on Aging. “There’s no worse time to be isolated than at the holidays.” “This is hard, this is...

On Monday, one day after alerting parents to a positive COVID-19 case at Monomoy Middle School, Superintendent of Schools Scott Carpenter sent a second email announcing another case at Harwich Elementary. “Based on what has been shared with the school from both the family and public health officials, the student was not in the building while infectious, and we do not need to quarantine any classrooms,” Carpent...

CHATHAM — Each year, selectmen and the town manager begin the process of creating a budget by setting their goals and objectives, meeting in a special Saturday session. This year’s session yielded a list of priorities shaped in part by the pandemic. “Seeing that COVID-19 was impacting a lot of our ability to move forward with our work that we had been thinking about doing, we did review our established mission...

HARWICH — Thanks to a lot of patience, a dash of ingenuity and gallons of disinfectant, the community center remains open during the pandemic. And for the people who use it and the Harwich Cultural Center, it’s a badly needed connection to neighbors during the COVID-19 era. It’s far from business as usual, however. Community Center Director Carolyn Carey said she’s worked closely with Health Director Meggan El...

HARWICH — Along with the cold weather, the reality that it may be a tough winter for restaurants is settling in. Facilities for outdoor serving are being shuttered and limited indoor serving capacity could make the usual slow winter even slower. Town officials are weighing options available to restaurants. One is to allow longer closures. Selectmen last week approved owner Damien Wiseman's request to close the...

ORLEANS – This Thanksgiving, one of the most difficult aspects of the coronavirus pandemic is that many extended families cannot sit at the same table to eat, laugh and reminisce. The isolation can hit seniors particularly hard. In senior living centers, visits are prohibited or kept short to protect elder loved ones from the virus. Seniors can’t hug family members and can’t cradle newborns in their laps. B...

CHATHAM — After a community center staff member tested positive for COVID-19, town officials announced that the PARK after school childcare program will be shut down until Nov. 30. As of early this week, there was no indication that any of the children in the program had contracted the illness, but parents had been warned to watch their youngsters for symptoms. Last Friday, town officials learned that the comm...

For restaurants operating under strict public health protocols during the pandemic, any small bit of good news is worth celebrating. While certainly not game-changing, the relaxation of certain rules that took effect Monday represented progress, said Peter Barnard, owner of the Impudent Oyster in Chatham. “It’s been helpful,” he said. “Everything helps.” Announced last week, the changes allow restaurants...

CHATHAM — It’s not exactly high praise, but given the pandemic and the economic disaster it spawned, the summer of 2020 could’ve been worse. The visitor economy was buoyed by day-trippers and longer-term visitors who came from places within driving range to the Lower Cape. One metric of activity in downtown Chatham is the use of the paid parking lot at the former Eldredge Garage property. Chatham Valet ran ...