COVID-19

COVID-19 is the name of the coronavirus disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2).

Virtual Meetings and Events

On March 13, 2020, the Heart of New England posted a statement on Facebook, in which they strongly recommended suspending unit meetings and activities if the unit's school closes. At about the same time, Worcester Public Schools announced on Twitter that their schools were closed until at least April 6. As a result, on March 14, 2020, the Troop announced:

As it turned out, our virtual meetings generally ran to the usual ending time of 8:30 PM, and meetings continued to be entirely virtual almost through July 2020. We held virtual camping events (everyone camping in their own backyard, connected via Zoom) in March, April, May, June and November 2021. Otherwise, we resumed in-person camping.

Controls for In-person Events

COVID-19 Controls - The Troop has implemented controls to limit COVID-19 transmission risk at in-person events, beginning with an initial version posted July 4, 2020. Different versions of the controls are available here.

COVID-19 Screening Record - The Troop used this record to ensure that screening was completed as expected at an activity, not at meetings. Personal health data was not recorded as part of this process.

On-line Sources of Information on COVID-19

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak - WHO web page

Coronavirus (COVID-19) - CDC web page

Information on the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) - Massachusetts Department of Public Health web page

Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases Map - by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University

Restart Scouting Checklist - Checklist of risk reduction steps for units to use in conducting in-person activities.

Workplace Safety and Reopening Standards for Campgrounds - Phase III, Step 1 - From the collection of Reopening Massachusetts documents.

Reported Cases and Deaths by Country, Territory, or Conveyance - Tabular data on Worldometer, allows comparison of countries by cases and deaths per 100,000 population.

Daily confirmed COVID-19 deaths - Graph of deaths per day for USA on Our World in Data.

Key Dates from the Massachusetts Perspective

• 31 Dec, 2019 - Pneumonia of unknown cause reported to WHO China Office.
• 01 Feb, 2020 - Massachusetts reported its first confirmed case of COVID-19.
• 10 Mar, 2020 - Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency.
• 11 Mar, 2020 - WHO characterized COVID-19 as a pandemic.
• 13 Mar, 2020 -
  • US President Donald Trump declared a national state of emergency.
  • Worcester Public Schools announced that its schools were to be closed until at least April 6.
• 15 Mar, 2020 -
  • Edward Agustus, the City Manager, declared a state of emergency in the City of Worcester.
  • The number of COVID-19 cases in the rest of the world first exceeded the number of cases in mainland China.
  • Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced the closure of all schools in Massachusetts to close from March 17 to April 6. Several other measures were also announced, including the end of dine-in service at all restaurants and prohibiting gatherings of 25 people or more.
• 16 Mar, 2020 - US President Donald Trump called for a limit of 10 people in any gathering for the next 15 days.
• 18 Mar, 2020 - Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered that all day care centers in the state will close March 23 and not reopen until April 6, with some exceptions.
• 19 Mar, 2020 - Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker activated the state's National Guard to support COVID-19 response.
• 20 Mar, 2020 - Massachusetts confirmed its first COVID-19 death.
• 23 Mar, 2020 - Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered all non-essential businesses to cease in-person operation from March 24 at noon until April 7 at noon.
• 23 Mar, 2020 - Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered an extension of school and child care closures to not reopen before May 4.
• 27 Mar, 2020 - Baker-Polito Administration announced travel guidance requiring travelers arriving in Massachusetts to self-quarantine for 14 days.
• 29 Mar, 2020 - US President Donald Trump extended the federal guidance calling for social distancing measures across the United States through April 30.
• 11 Apr, 2020 - The US death toll from COVID-19 becomes the largest for any country in the world at over 18,000.
• 21 Apr 2020 - Baker-Polito Administration extended the closure of all public and private schools through the end of the school year, and the closure of all non-emergency childcare programs until June 29, 2020.
• 28 Apr 2020 - Charlie Baker extended the closure of non-essential businesses and organizations for in-person operations and the prohibition on gatherings of 10 or more people until May 18, 2020.
• 01 May 2020 - Charlie Baker ordered the wearing of a mask in public when social distancing is not possible.
• 18 May 2020 - Massachusetts issued its Reopening Massachusetts materials, including workplace standards and the move to Phase 1, effective May 18.
• 27 May 2020 - The number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in the United States passed 100,000.
• 06 Jun 2020 - Charlie Baker ordered the move to Phase 2 Step 1 of the reopening of Massachusetts, effecive June 8.
• 19 Jun 2020 - Charlie Baker ordered the move to Phase 2 Step 2 of the reopening of Massachusetts, effective June 22.
• 02 Jul 2020 - Baker-Polito Administration announced the transition to Phase 3 Step 1 on July 6, 2020.
• 08 Aug 2020 - The number of COVID-19 deaths in Worcester County reached 1,000.
• 02 Nov 2020 - Baker-Polito Administration announced a set of targeted measures intended to disrupt rising COVID-19 trends in the State. The measures include a Stay At Home Advisory requiring residents of Massachusetts to stay home between the hours of 10 PM and 5 AM and a face covereings order requirinig the wearing of face coverings in public places.
• 30 Jan 2023 - The administration of US President Joseph Biden announced that it plans to let the coronavirus public health emergency expire May 11.

Page updated 2/5/23 J. Froimson