National Guard makes Vineyard deliveries

9

Updated

The National Guard is on the Vineyard to drop off essential supplies for ongoing COVID-19 efforts. In a Facebook post meant to quell any concern about the Guard’s presence, the Edgartown Police Department stated military vehicles were just here for deliveries.

“Did you see the National Guard trucks come off the boat this morning?” the post reads.

“There is no reason to be alarmed! The National Guard is just dropping off supplies and equipment to the Dukes County Sheriff’s Office. They will be leaving as soon as delivery is complete.”

“The Guard is transporting and constructing a staff screening tent, as an effort by MEMA [Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency] to stem the interdiction of the Coronavirus into our incarcerated population, and is being provided to all Sheriff’s Office Correctional facilities across the commonwealth as a protective measure,”  Dukes County Sheriff Robert Ogden emailed. 

A subsequent statement, Sheriff Ogden noted the tents MEMA provided will protect both staff and people jailed from COVID-19.  

“These tents will be used in order to screen staff coming into facilities for symptoms and risks of exposure to COVID-19, in order to protect staff and individuals in custody,” his statement reads. 

“We appreciate the support of MEMA and the National Guard in supplying and delivering testing tents. The efforts of these agencies will aid the continuation of our stringent efforts to keep everyone safe and healthy while maintaining care, custody and control.”

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) also dropped off Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Island first responders today, according to Edgartown Fire Chief Alex Schaeffer, chairman of the Vineyard emergency managers. Chief Schaffer said the order contained face shields, N95 masks, gowns, and isolation suits, among other equipment. None of the equipment is slated for the hospital, Schaeffer said, as they are supplied separately by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

Updated to include more details. -ed

9 COMMENTS

  1. interesting that they bring in a screening tent, but the list of supplies does not include test kits.
    I don’t mean to sound political or anything, but shouldn’t test kits be widely available by now ?
    Countries affected by this early on knew testing was essential and countries that did extensive testing beat this down — somewhat. Again, not to be political , but the president of the U.S , on march 6 said that anybody who wants a test can have a test. The cdc is telling us that up to 25 % of people with the virus show no symptoms.
    https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/490391-cdc-head-up-to-25-percent-of-those-with-coronavirus-never-show
    So, I want a test to know if I have it, and have no symptoms.
    If I test positive ,I will lock myself in my 12x 14 ft bedroom and stay there. PERIOD !
    otherwise, I will stay at my home or my significant other’s 99 % of the time, and occasionally venture out for food and items that I deem necessary to have my life continue with some sense of normalcy. Like gas for my log splitter, so i can split the 2 cords of wood I have piled up so I don’t freeze to death next winter.
    I want a test–I want information– I don’t want to hear about how great trump is, or how stupid “dems” are. We don’t even have any co-ordinated effort to distribute supplies– All the governors just have to beg for supplies from wherever they can get them.
    And thanks to the national guard. Yes, they are on the front lines of this.
    They have my respect and appreciation..

    • Yes, South Korea had it’s first confirmed coronavirus case on the same day as we did in January, and yet because they tested so widely and everyone wore face masks from the get-go, they were able to contain it and have a flat curve with relatively far fewer deaths, while we have a gigantic mountainous curve still getting higher. Of course, it doesn’t help that our country has been sending PPEs overseas while we don’t have enough for our own people. This is what happens when an incompetent idiot is running the show. We were told not to wear masks if we weren’t sick, that it could make things worse because we didn’t know how to put them on. Now we know we were told not to wear masks because our government knew we did not have enough for our medical workers. That’s not politics, that’s reality. I add my thanks to the National Guard and all the other people who do so much to help.

    • 3 d– was there something political in my comment ?
      I clearly stated the facts– if you think that’s “political”, you should try to understand the meaning of the word. Got any issue with anything specific in my comment ?
      Did the president not say that ?
      Should we not have testing ?
      Do you think it’s “political” that this virus can be spread by people who have no symptoms ?
      You know, when trump lied on day one about how big his inauguration crowd was, and followed up with another 15 thousand lies since that day, we have had to tolerate it. But now, hundreds of thousands of Americans are going to die. Where are the test ? Let me repeat that question in a non partisan way —
      where are the test ?
      making fun of trump because he can’t pronounce words, and can’t remember what he said yesterday, is sometimes funny. he makes the job of late night writers easy.
      Covid 19 is not… and it is not political.
      It kills across all demographics, political persuasions. and religious affiliations.
      I don’t give a rat’s ask where the test come from, or the where the protective gear for the hospitals comes from. We need it– Elon Musk can come up with thousands of ventilators for California, that he got from China. The plane that usually flies the Patriots around managed to get a million masks into this country from China..
      And the president says he doesn’t “think” health care workers need this stuff ?
      Really — And you criticize me ?????
      I have been hearing for years about how great our military is. Yup, the Army core is putting up hospitals, I salute them. But what is the real military doing?
      And, by the way, while most civilian construction in this country has ground to a halt, work on the Arizona border wall is going on full force– workers packed in hotels and air B& B’s working side by side
      chowing down lunch in little tents, and sucking down millions of us taxpayer dollars.
      Yeah, you can bet your butt that part is political.
      And those poor schleps are going to die..
      And just for the record, 3D, you are no dondondon. !

      • Did you and Jackie not read George’s request that posts be brief? Strive for the laconic, not the garrulous.

      • Suggestion, give the Stage IV Trump Derangement Syndrome a rest for just a couple more weeks until we can get on top of this, They’ll be plenty of villains and heroes to go around on both sides after we kill this virus.

Comments are closed.