Residents on Cape Cod are petitioning to shut down the Sagamore and Bourne bridges amid the coronavirus outbreak to keep out-of-towners away to prevent an overflow of their hospitals, according to a Boston Herald report.
The petition to close the bridges has nearly 6,000 signatures. The petition states the bridge closures would help stop the spread of coronavirus. “Only year-round residence (sp), medical personnel. Trucks that deliver essential supplies.”
Some residents worry that if vacation homeowners stay, the local hospitals will see an influx of COVID-19 patients, which would result in overwhelming the healthcare system in the area. The petition says that the two hospitals on the Cape have “limited staff.”
In recent weeks, Nantucket, the Cape, and vacation areas in other New England states have reported an influx in out-of-state residents seeking to ride out the coronavirus outbreak.
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday that the latest models show that the coronavirus surge is expected to hit Massachusetts in the next two to three weeks, sometime between April 7 and April 17.
There are currently 6,620 coronavirus cases in Massachusetts, including 89 deaths. Nearly 43,000 residents have been tested so far, according to health officials.
