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Your Community Newspaper Serving: ARUNDEL, BERWICK, CAPE NEDDICK, ELIOT, KENNEBUNK, KENNEBUNKPORT, KITTERY, KITTERY POINT, MOODY, NO. BERWICK, OGUNQUIT, SO. BERWICK, WELLS, YORK & YORK HARBOR
Friday, December 25, 2020
Volume 16 • Issue No. 52
York Hospital Outbreak Update YORK As York Hospital’s Infection Control team continues testing efforts in order to assess its progress containing the COVID-19 outbreak, no new patients have tested positive, while eight new staff members have received positive results. Additionally, there has been one more patient death, bringing that number to three. The eight additional COVID-19 positive healthcare workers, from this third round of interval testing, are all associated with Inpatient Adult Healthcare and bring the cumulative number of positive staff to 45 cases since the outbreak’s discovery on December 6. The total number of COVID-19 positive patients is 13; there have been no new positive results for patients since December 16. Per Dr. Evangeline Thibodeau, lead of the hospital’s In-
fection Control team, “Through our daily communication with Dr. Sears at the Maine CDC, we continue to move forward with interval testing of staff, following their approved guidelines. As we’ve seen from the onset of the outbreak, all staff positive results remain concentrated within the Inpatient Adult Healthcare team; And as directed by the CDC, we will continue to respond and act quickly, expanding testing as needed. Additionally encouraging, as our caregivers who were COVID-positive continue to return from their ten day isolation periods, they join with those who have been previously reassigned to areas of more urgent need. This has allowed us to successfully maintain appropriate staffing levels for all services we offer.” In addition to vigilant testing, York Hospital’s HICS
Library & Food Pantry Package Books for Kids BERWICK In an effort to get books into the hands of children who may not have the opportunity to order from a library at this time,
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Berwick Public Library Director Sharon Kelly and Children’s Librarian Shilo Fiel have partnered with Pat Vachon from the Somersworth/Berwick Food Pantry to get books to them. Kelly and Fiel have put together packets for the 240 to 300 children of the families who frequent the pantry. Some of the books are newly-purchased, and those purchases are supplemented with books from the library. Each packet for a young child will include a book, a bookmark, coloring pages and crayons. For the older children, the packets will include a book, bookmark, word puzzles, and a holiday pencil. Kelly said the staff is thrilled to be able to reach children in this way and show the library staff’s commitment to the most vulnerable members of the community at such a difficult time.
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(Hospital Incident Command System) team meets twice daily to assess any and all policies which may impact the outbreak, gauging the need to further restrict or address any issues that may arise. Thus far, policies limiting the cafeteria to takeout for staff only, strict workstation practices prohibiting eating or drinking, limiting those activities only to one caregiver per closed room, have been imposed. Proper and thorough masking, along with the use of protective eyewear for all staff at all times continues to be a top priority. Adjustments involving patients, such as restrictive in-person visitor policies and postponement of any elective surgeries requiring post-procedural admittance, continue to be enforced. “This outbreak has been the center of our focus since the moment it was discovered, and we continue to treat it incredibly seriously. All of our infection control practices have See HOSPITAL page 15...
New Year’s Eve Virtually in Kennebunk
KENNEBUNK The 6th Annual New Year’s Eve Kennebunk (known as NYE KBK) will take place on Thursday, December 31. While the event traditionally takes place at various sites on Main Street in downtown Kennebunk, this year the event is going virtual. The Wild Blueberry Ball Drop from the Bell Tower of the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church will be streamed via video at 9 p.m. (for the early birds!) and at midnight, via the NYEKBK Facebook page and Youtube. Founded in 2015 by volunteers from the Town of Kenne-
bunk, the Brick Store Museum, and the First Parish Unitarian Universalist Church, this is NYE KBK’s sixth year creating a family-friendly event that brings the community together to celebrate the New Year. The virtual event is available to everyone free of charge. Visit the websites of the First Parish (www.uukennebunk.org), the Brick Store Museum (www.brickstoremuseum.org) or the Town of Kennebunk (www.kennebunkmaine. us) to find a link to the streaming events on December 31. To learn more, visit www. nyekbk.org and www.facebook. com/nyekbk.
“Reverse” Parade Available Online
WELLS Eleanor J Vadenais, President and CEO of the Wells Chamber of Commerce shared, “We were excited prior to the event based on the response that we received from the groups and businesses that signed up to participate in the parade as well as the generosity of the sponsors, but when 2 o’clock rolled around and the cars started coming in to Harbor Park and literally didn’t
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stop until the parade ended at 3 o’clock, we realized that we had hit a home run!” The viewers attending included families with kids of all ages peering out the windows, couples, seniors and tourists all taking time out of their day to celebrate the holiday event. The parade video will be playing daily through January 3, 2021 at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Fridays and Sundays at 7 p.m. on
the Town of Wells Cable Access WCTV – Channel 3. For more information, visit www.wellschamber.org. Eleanor extends thanks to all the sponsors as well as the Wells Police Dept. Honour Guard, Wells Town officials, Daniel J. Hobbs, Kennebunk Savings, Atlantic Harmonies Acapella Choirs, TC Hafford See PARADE page 3... Have you seen our
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