In an effort to continue to update Dedham residents on state and local preparedness efforts and impacts related to COVID-19 (commonly referred to as Coronavirus), the Dedham Board of Health offers the following updates: 

Sunday, March 15, 2020

Governor Baker issued an order that all public and private schools in the Commonwealth remained closed for three weeks, effective March 17, 2020.

Governor Baker also issued an Emergency Order limiting gatherings to 25 individuals and prohibiting on-premise consumption of food or drink at bars and restaurants, effective March 17, 2020

Monday, March 16, 2020

Board members, meeting jointly with members of the Board of Selectmen, unanimously voted that, effective March 17, 2020, all Town and School playgrounds will be closed until further notice, and information will be posted about the closures in those public spaces.  

The Board issued guidelines to all food establishments in an effort to provide guidance as to how they should comply with the emergency order. 

Tuesday, March 17, 2020

The Health Department met with the Fire and Police Chiefs to distribute required personal protective equipment to the first responders in our community from the Health Department’s emergency response trailer.

Wednesday, March 18, 2020

On this date, the Board held an emergency meeting to act on the following:

• Based on federal guidelines of reducing social gatherings to 10 people or less the Board voted the temporary closure of fitness centers, ice rinks, and other indoor recreational facilities effective Thursday, March 19, 2020.
  
  
• Effective Friday, March 20, 2020 the Board voted the following establishments must discontinue offering services,  nail salons, hair salons, barbershops, personal services, lash bars, acupuncture and massage salons as it is not feasible to provide these services at a safe distance between provider and client.
  
  
• Following the Governor’s decision to close early childhood centers (daycare), effective Monday, March 23, 2020, the Board voted to support this decision with the noted exceptions to later be determined by the Governor. 

Additional Information & Resources 

There are no confirmed cases of the virus in Dedham as of March 18, 2020.

See additional federal, state, and local guidance.

Dedham’s Public Health Nurse maintains daily surveillance and monitoring of COVID-19 in the community. The Health Department has daily communication with various community leaders to provide additional guidance and support in conjunction with the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH).

Larger outdoor recreation spaces (fields & trails) will remain open to public use, however the Board urges the public to follow the CDC’s guidance on social distancing. 

The Board recognizes this is a time of stress and uncertainty for many, and would like to encourage residents to access these resources, as needed:

• Disaster Distress Helpline, 1-800-985-5990
• Text "TalkWithUs" to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.

Residents with questions may contact the Dedham Health Department during regular business hours at (781) 751-9220.