There were eleven 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 August 27th. The total number of cases for the downtown neighborhoods stand at 575, a rate of 103.2 per 10,000 residents. Visits to the Emergency Department for COVID-19-like-illness increased slightly to 2.4% from 2.3% last week.
The City of Boston reported 15,420 total cases with 336 new cases this week according to Boston’s COVID-19 tracking dashboard. The City reported six new deaths this week with the total number of deaths standing at 752. Approximately 76% of patients have recovered from the coronavirus.
According to the state’s new weekly reporting on case counts in each city/town, Boston was shown to have an average daily incidence rate of 7.1 per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period.
Four new states were added to the Commonwealth’s quarantine-exempt list, according to the Massachusetts COVID-19 travel order. Starting on Saturday, August 29, travelers from Pennsylvania, Delaware, West Virginia, and Colorado will not have to quarantine for fourteen days or fill out the state’s travel form.
Existing states on the exemption list—Connecticut, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, and Vermont—all meet two criteria: average daily cases per 100,000 residents is below six and an average positive test rate below 5%.
Visitors and residents re-entering Massachusetts from other states are required to fill out a travel form upon their arrival and quarantine for 14 days unless they can provide proof of a negative test result taken no more than 72 hours before arrival. Other individuals who do not have to quarantine include transitory travelers, those commuting regularly for work or school, patients seeking/receiving medical treatment, military personnel, and workers providing critical infrastructure services.
The Boston Public Library (BPL) will reopen its Copley Square branch for the first time since March for limited access to its computers. City residents will be allowed to sign up for a two-hour window to use the computers in the Central Library.
The City is working alongside the library to expand digital access by launching 24-hour outdoor WiFi at nine BPL branches: Mattapan, Codman Square, Parker Hill, Hyde Park, Grove Hall, Egleston Square, East Boston, Honan-Allston, and South End.
Adult and teen patrons are allowed to reserve computer time at the Copley Square branch on Monday through Thursday via online or by phone at (617) 536-5400.
Massachusetts has 117,888 total confirmed positive cases, according to the most recent data. There were 2,147 new COVID-19 cases reported this week. There have been 8,791 total deaths with 121 new deaths this week.
