Massachusetts was named one of four states for being on track with containing COVID-19 alongside New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut. According to COVIDActNow, the Commonwealth has been effective in widespread testing and contact tracing. The state has also experienced a decrease in active cases with an infection rate of about 0.75 and a low positive test rate at 2.3%.
States across the South and Southwest have been experiencing spikes in their cases and an increase of hospitalizations, resulting in the governors of Florida and Texas reversing their reopening actions by closing bars and introducing new restrictions.
“COVID-19 will not be taking a summer vacation,” said Governor Charlie Baker during his press conference on Friday afternoon, urging residents to continue wearing face coverings and practicing social distancing.
There were nine new COVID-19 cases this week in the Downtown, North End, Beacon Hill, and Back Bay neighborhoods, according to the Boston Public Health Commission’s weekly report through June 25th. The total number of cases for the downtown neighborhoods stands at 479, a rate of 86 per 10,000 residents.
Nearly 70% of Bostonians have recovered from the coronavirus, indicating a continuing positive trend of low new infections. Citywide, there were 129 new cases reported this week with 13,339 total cases, according to Boston’s COVID-19 case tracking dashboard. The total number of deaths stand at 705 with 11 new deaths this week.
“Several states are in full-blown surges. These are very concerning and it’s a stark reminder of how quickly this virus can spread,” warned Mayor Marty Walsh on Thursday afternoon.
Boston entered Step 2 of Phase II in it’s reopening plan on Monday, June 22nd. The City’s earliest date for Phase III is July 6th, in which businesses such as gyms, museums, casinos, and more would be allowed to reopen.
The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education recently released their guidance for reopening schools in the Fall, placing a priority on physical attendance. It offered three models that school officials would be required to adhere to in order to reopen: in-person learning with new health and safety protocols, hybrid learning with in-person and remote attendance, or completely remote learning.
“There is clear consensus from both education and medical groups that while we must respect the risks of COVID-19 transmission associated with in-person schooling, we must also acknowledge the challenges and consequences of keeping students out of school, which affects their physical health, social and emotional well-being and educational progress,” said Education Secretary James Peyser.
Massachusetts currently has 108,070 total positive and presumptive cases according to the most recent data with 103,071 being confirmed positive cases and 4,999 being probable cases. There were 1,420 new COVID-19 cases reported this week with 354 of those being probable cases. There have been 8,013 total deaths with 213 new deaths.
