Moses Arita does his part against Covid-19 as he waits to cross Broadway. (Photo by Jim Mahoney)
Cities still at high risk
By JOSH RESNEK
If you thought the COVID-19 pandemic is losing steam here with nowhere to go, you’re wrong.
Last week, the State Department of Health and Human Services identified Everett, Lynn, Revere and Chelsea, as having the state’s highest risk of virus transmission by a wider margin that most residents would want to think about in those four cities.
The state last week released a new map and ranking system to determine a community’s risk level for spreading the virus.
The designations are based on the average daily corona- virus cases per 100,000 people.
On that map Everett, Lynn, Revere and Chelsea are designated as high danger zones for transmission with the color red.
Red indicates 8 cases or more per 100,000 people being reported.
The next statewide report will be issued Wednesday by the DPH.
In reaction to this new designation for the city, the local health department has made wearing masks mandatory for everyone out in public over the age of 2.
Fines of up to $300 will be handed out by the police for egregious instances of non-compliance.
The state has urged residents of Everett, and the other high-risk cities, to wear a face covering inside their homes if an older individual or someone with a compromised medical condition is part of the immediate household.
Last week, more than 7,000 men and women died of the virus across the nation. The total came in at over 1,000 victims every day.
An American is dying of the virus every 80 seconds.
Governor Charlie Baker said that communities marked as high risk will be targeted for increased enforcement of mask rules and restrictions on public and private gatherings. He said fines and citations should be a last resort for enforcing public guidance but that it is important that some measures be taken to reinforce the seriousness of following them and adhering to social distancing and better hygiene.
Everett will be receiving state help for other measures which likely includes accessing federal funding, increased testing, and contact tracing, and coordinated public health messages.
The statewide positivity rating has fallen below 2%.
As of Monday morning, the city reported there are 1,960 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with 1,719 being recovered.
The city is averaging about 4-6 new cases everyday ac- cording to recent statistics.