City has high rate, but restaurants can serve again with restrictions
By JOSH RESNEK
The City of Everett remains a hotbed of Coronavirus, according to a July 1 report released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
As of this week, Everett has reported 1,775 confirmed cases of the virus, which translates into 3,636 cases per 100,000 people with a positivity rate of 24.85% – a shockingly high figure that makes the city in the top three in Massachusetts.
To date, 7104 men, women and children have been tested here for an average testing rate of 14634 per 100,000.
The testing figures can all be extrapolated in a prorated way and redetermined based on our estimated 60,000 population.
Bottom line, Everett would have suffered mightily had Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito failed to put in place among the strictest set of health and hygiene standards in the nation along with a highly restrictive set of rules and regulations regarding social distancing, face masks and tracing.
A structured reopening based on empirical data provided a hedge against the disaster now sweeping so many states that reopened too early and too fast.
The Massachusetts miracle is revealed fully by the statistics – and the reality that our hospital system statewide is not buried under the weight of virus victims in hospital beds and in ICUs.
The Cambridge Alliance Hospital in Everett reports this week no over- crowding and full availability of beds and ICU spaces for those who need them.
The numbers of those becoming seriously ill and needing hospitalization have been consistently dropping for almost a month.
Deaths in Everett from the virus have almost entirely stopped.
With the Phase 3 reopening now in full swing this week, Everett’s restaurants can serve inside again. Gyms can reopen; museums, and movie theaters, too can reopen.
Everett has no museums or movie theaters and not many gyms. However, there can now be yoga/spin classes, both of which are practiced in the city by many people.
On Sunday July 12, the En- core Casino and Hotel will be reopening to customers. Employees only are allowed in the facilities beginning July 6.
As the next phase begins, the Baker administration will also update restrictions on gatherings to allow more people to congregate. Indoor gatherings will be capped at eight people per 1,000 square feet with a maximum of 25, while outdoor enclosed gatherings will be limited to 25% of permitted capacity with a maximum of 100.
For the city of Boston, the Baker administration said in a statement that the new gatherings order will go into effect a week later, on Monday, July 13.
Caps do not apply to unenclosed outdoor events, such as backyard parties or park visits.
Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders explained that while the health care industry would continue to emphasize a focus on telehealth services, several in-person services would return, including certain group treatment programs, as well as some day programs. Additionally, some community-based day services for adults with intellectual disabilities can now reopen, too. Notably, phase three also loosens restrictions on visitations at long-term care facilities such as nursing homes.