BOSTON (AP) – Massachusetts is launching loose COVID-19 test sites in 8 communities to monitor the spread of disease in the component through also providing evidence to asymptomatic people, Gov. Charlie Baker said Wednesday.
The 8 communities were decided because they average above the state average and also have higher positive verification rates. Baker said that despite the most cases, cities have also noticed a drop in control degrees since April.
“While the Commonwealth has made progress in reducing the overall rate of positive testing, there are still communities where the number of positive tests is higher than the average in the rest of the state,” Baker said. “Focusing our efforts to develop evidence in these communities will identify new instances and prevent spread.”
The 8 communities are Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Marlborough and New Bedford. The positive rate across the state over the past two weeks is about 2%, however, in the 8 communities, 8% of positive responses.
The population of cities also accounts for about 9% of the state’s population, but has noticed 27% of the state’s positive tests in the past two weeks.
Baker urges network citizens to take advantage of new sites, even if they show no symptoms. The sites are open to all of Massachusetts, Baker said.
“Testing will continue to be a tool in the coming months,” Baker said.
The new one will be open from July 10 to August 14.
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VIRUS IN NUMBERS
Massachusetts reported Wednesday that 30 COVID-19-like deaths showed, bringing the total number of proven and probable deaths since the onset of the pandemic to 8243.
There have been 264 recently shown and probable cases of COVID-19, coronavirus-induced disease, reported Wednesday, bringing the total number of cases shown and likely to more than 110,600 in Massachusetts since the onset of the pandemic.
There were 662 other people reported hospitalized by COVID-19, while 102 were in intensive care units.
The number of deaths shown and likely similar to COVID-19 in long-term care homes is greater than 5220, or more than 63% of all deaths shown and likely in Massachusetts attributed to the disease.
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PLANS TO OPEN SCHOOLS
President Donald Trump’s risk of withholding federal investment if schools don’t reopen in the fall with children with elegance amounts to a “federal decree” that doesn’t make much sense, Baker said Wednesday.
“It makes no sense for the federal government to regard this as a one-stop solution,” the Republican governor said Wednesday. “What they deserve to be doing is running with other people like us and others to locate methods that ensure that they and we can paint together to make sure schools have the resources they want to open.”
Trump went on Twitter Wednesday and said other countries, adding Germany, Denmark and Norway, had reopened schools “without any problem.” He accused Democrats of not closing schools for political reasons without the dangers associated with coronavirus.
As a component of a school reopening plan baker presented last month, school districts will need to prepare for 3 imaginable models of schooling: face-to-face learning; Hybrid learning that combines face-to-face learning and distance learning; schooling that takes position completely remotely.
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Casinos
Plainridge Park’s casino reopened Wednesday, the first of 3 Massachusetts casinos to resume gambling acceptance as a component of Baker’s third coronavirus economic recovery plan.
Plainville Slots Show has taken several steps to prevent the spread of the disease, adding restriction capacity, reducing the number of machines available and installing plexiglas signs and dividers to enforce the rules of social distance in the spaces where the lines are formed.
Guests and staff should wear a mask and go through a physical health check, adding temperature control.
Still, Boston Harbor is scheduled to reopen on July 12, and MGM Springfield plans to open on July 13.
Casinos in neighboring Rhode Island and Connecticut have already reopened.
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OPENING CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Fall River announced Wednesday that the diocese’s 22 schools serving youth from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade will reopen completely this fall with instruction.
Each school can meet the requirement of 3 to 6 feet away from social while offering one hundred percent classroom instruction, the diocese said. Schools will also offer live streaming features to ensure that academics who choose to be informed remotely can do so.
The four Catholic high schools in the diocese will announce their plans for reopening on an individual basis.
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EMERGING READERS
On Wednesday, the city of Boston releases a series of loose films for families with a screening of “Moana” at 6:30 p.m. and “Yesterday” at 8:30 p.m.
The drive-in double feature will be set up in the rear parking lot at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.
Pre-registration required.
The city will use a visual LED display day and night.