2,200 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in Mass., 23 additional deaths
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported an additional 2,200 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the statewide total to 164,936.
This marks the second straight day that state health officials have reported more than 2,000 new coronavirus cases. The last time that happened was April 24-25.
An estimated 20,720 cases are active across the state, the daily report shows.
State health officials also confirmed 23 new COVID-19-related deaths, bringing the state's confirmed coronavirus death toll to 9,903.
As of Saturday, 535 patients with confirmed coronavirus cases were hospitalized in Massachusetts, of which 127 were reported to be in an intensive care unit.
This week, the DPH delayed publication of the town-by-town COVID-19 risk map to Friday. Officials said the
new map will take community population into account, in addition to the average daily rate of new cases.
Last week, state health officials listed 121 communities as being at high risk of COVID-19, but the new metrics rank 16 communities in the "Red" category on this week's map.
Massachusetts is changing its coronavirus map, amid push to reopen schools | Boston.com
The second COVID-19 surge may be underway in Massachusetts, but Gov. Charlie Baker says that data shows students should be able to return to schools safely.
His administration is updating their community-level coronavirus risk metrics accordingly.
During a press conference Friday afternoon, state officials announced changes to the criteria for the
spotlight-style COVID-19 risk map they use to advise local school districts on decisions to hold in-person classes, as well as
permit communities to move forward in the reopening process.
The changes, which significantly reduce the number of communities with a high-risk red designation, come as Baker and his top education appointees continue to pressure all cities and town to reopen to prioritize in-person learning.
“Some people mistakenly believe that we can just wait this out and then send our kids back to school when there’s a vaccine or treatments,” the Republican governor said Friday. “But we all know that losing a week, a month, a quarter, or more in the life of a kid’s education has real consequences.”
So what exactly do those changes mean? Simply put, a lot more communities in lower-risk categories.
Last week, 121 of the 351 communities in Massachusetts
fell into the red zone, for which the Baker administration had initially recommended remote-learning, even as it
pressed more lower-risk cities and towns to reopen schools.
However, based on the new metrics, just 16 are in the red, 91 are yellow, 79 are green, and 165 are gray.
“I happen to think this is a more nuanced and more accurate way to test how communities are doing,” said Baker, who rejected the notion that the state was simply loosening the rules in order to pressure more schools to resume in-person learning.
At the same time, the administration also issued
new guidance Friday instructing schools to “prioritize in-person learning across all color-coded categories, unless there is suspected in-school transmission.”
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New Mass. COVID Reporting Guidelines: Here's What to Know
Here's a quick summary of what you need to know about the latest changes to the state's COVID-19 reporting and guidelines:
- To qualify for the red category under the new metrics, communities with populations under 10,000 must have more than 25 cases. For communities with between 10,000 and 50,000 people, they must have an average of more than 10 cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate of more than 5%. For larger communities of greater than 50,000 people, they must have more than 10 cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate of more than 4%.
- Schools are expected to go remote only if their community is in red, though control is ultimately left up to local officials. Even red schools are expected to pursue a hybrid model with the possibility of in-person learning for the students with the highest needs.
- The Department of Public Health is no longer including a map in it's weekly COVID risk report. An official said that the map is no longer seen as being as helpful as it once was, now that coronavirus cases are being seen in most communities.
- The new stay-at-home advisory implemented Friday is in effect from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., with residents urged to stay home except if they need to go to work, for a walk or to the grocery store or to pick up medicine.
- Restaurants are now required to stop providing table service at 9:30 p.m., although they can continue to offer carry out after that time. Liquor sales at restaurants and package stores will also shut down at 9:30 p.m.
- The governor also reduced the limit on indoor gatherings to 10 people and outdoor gatherings to 25 people. All gatherings regardless of size must end and disperse by 9:30 p.m.
- Fines for violating the gathering order will be $500 for each person above the limit. The new rules give local governments more tools to end informal gatherings that violate the rules.
- California has been added to the Massachusetts quarantine list, the Department of Public Health announced Friday. Under Massachusetts' travel order, state health officials will begin considering California at higher risk for travel starting Saturday. Those entering Massachusetts from there are required to quarantine for 24 hours.
