Coronavirus: National Guard Deployed To Chelmsford Nursing Home

CHELMSFORD, MA — The Massachusetts National Guard will deploy to a Chelmsford nursing home today to conduct widespread testing after a number of the residents there tested positive for the new coronavirus.

"The COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented in its scale and spread," Police Chief James Spinney said.

The move at the Chelmsford nursing home comes as many nursing homes, assisted living facilities and veterans' homes are struggling with outbreaks among their populations, where the spread can be devastating as older people and those with preexisting conditions are especially vulnerable to the virus.

The staff at the Palm center, on Parkhurst Road requested the testing, and Chelmsford leaders, administration at the facility and the Department of Public Heath decided to go ahead, according to a statement.

"The deployment is being conducted out of an abundance of caution and does not suggest a wider danger in Chelmsford as a whole," health officials said.

It's not clear how many residents tested positive or how many people in the town have tested positive for the virus, because town officials said they will not be releasing numbers, citing the general county wide data released from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, as enough.

"We fail to see the benefit to providing the number of positive case numbers and deaths for our community," Town Manager Paul Cohen told Patch in an email earlier this month. "The Middlesex County data clearly demonstrates that all people in the community should conform the Massachusetts Department of Public Health guideline’s to prevent the spread of COVID-19."

State officials announced an increase of 1,337 cases between Sunday and Monday to a total of 13,837 across the state. There were 29 new coronavirus deaths, bringing the death toll to 260 across the commonwealth. The increases reflect both community transmission and more testing. There were 4,492 new tests conducted, bringing the total to 76,429.

In neighboring Lowell, where the city is reporting the numbers, 209 people had tested positive for the virus as of Monday. In Westford, the number of people who tested positive was at 25, yesterday. Across Middlesex County yesterday the numbers rose to 2,950.

COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus, was declared a global pandemic by the World Health Organization and led Gov. Charlie Baker to declare a State of Emergency in Massachusetts, where is has been declared a Major Disaster.

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