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Masks will now be required in a Cape Cod community after the number of new COVID-19 cases linked to the Delta variant nearly doubled in just days.
Hundreds of new COVID-19 cases were reported in Provincetown, as the number of confirmed infections rose to 833 as of Wednesday, July 28, according to Town Manager Alex Morse.
Of those cases, 501 are Massachusetts residents, with 210 residing in Provincetown. The remainder of the individuals who tested positive live in other states.
In response to the surge of new COVID cases, the Provincetown Board of Selectmen and Health Board voted unanimously to turn an indoor mask advisory into a requirement, which went into effect as of Sunday, July 25.
According to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, genetic sequencing of initial samples associated with the COVID-19 cluster in Provincetown tested positive for the Delta variant.
The Provincetown Board of Health attributed the new spike in cases to celebrations during the Fourth of July weekend.
Since the outbreak began, seven hospitalizations have been reported within the Provincetown cluster, five in Massachusetts, and two out of state. No deaths have been reported.
Morse noted that the test positivity rate within the Provincetown cluster has improved from a peak of 15 percent on Thursday, July 15 to approximately 7 percent on July 27.
“It is important to note that the case data are cumulative and do not represent the number of people with active cases of COVID-19, or the number of cases currently hospitalized,” Morse noted.
“For instance, of the 210 cases identified among Provincetown residents since July 1, half have been released from isolation as of (Tuesday) July 27 consistent with the timeframes associated with the virus' incubation and infectious periods and Department of Public Health guidance on isolation.”
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