Provincetown COVID Cluster Climbs To 256 Cases; Nantucket Masks Up To Be Safe
PROVINCETOWN (CBS) - The total number of COVID-19 cases in an ongoing Provincetown cluster has increased to 256, with 190 coming from Massachusetts residents, the town reported Wednesday.
The numbers were collected Tuesday evening. As a result, health officials are expanding access to COVID-19 testing and vaccinations. Provincetown also requires masks for unvaccinated people, including children, in public indoor spaces and busy outdoor locations.
Provincetown has among the highest vaccination rates in the Commonwealth, with nearly all residents age 12 and older fully vaccinated.
Nantucket is also encouraging residents and visitors to wear masks indoors as a result of increasing cases across the Cape and Islands.
"The increased virulence of the Delta variant, and its high ability to infect even those vaccinated in some cases, means that masking and distancing are strongly recommended at this time," the town said in a prepared statement.
Nantucket's health officials said they are monitoring increased infection rates, but that the town has only had five cases of COVID-19 since July 16, none of which required hospitalization.
