Tuesday News Podcast: MA Reopening Strategy Announced; Restaurants Still Waiting for Green Light to Reopen

News Podcast – Weather – Videos of the Day – Salem COVID-19 Updates (Below)

Reopening strategy announced; Some Newburyport restaurants charging extra to use credit cards; Restaurants still waiting for a green light to reopen; Rockport COVID-19 update; COVID-19 related deaths continue in area; Topsfield will hold Memorial Day car parade

North Shore Today newscast with Bill Newell and Rick Moore

Weather – Getting better

City of Salem COVID-19 Response Update – May 18, 2020

The City of Salem continues to advance measures to help slow the spread of novel coronavirus (COVID-19), lessen impacts on healthcare providers responding to this evolving situation, and support Salem residents and businesses during this public health emergency. To view previous updates, please visit www.salem.com/news and click on a previous COVID-19 update.

New Updates

Today Governor Baker released additional details about the reopening plans for the Commonwealth. Read the information online at www.mass.gov/covid-reopen.

Mayor Kim Driscoll and Salem Health Agent David Greenbaum will conduct another public Q&A webinar for all Salem residents on Wednesday, May 20^th at 7:00 p.m. Watch the webinar at that time at www.salem.com/covidQA and submit your questions live, or send questions in advance to mayor@salem.com with “Q&A” in the subject line.
The City of Salem’s July 4^th celebrations will not take place as customarily scheduled this year. There will be no concert or fireworks display on July 4^th. The City is working with its community partners to develop other ways in which residents can celebrate the holiday safely.
The most recent newsletter from the City of Salem’s Economic Recovery Task Force can be found at https://bit.ly/May15EDRR.
This week the #SalemTogether page from Preserving Salem is telling stories from the community’s history about resilience and rebuilding after natural and man-made disasters. Read more at www.preservingsalem.com/disasters-in-salem.

Status of Cases

As of 4:00 p.m. on May 18, 2020, there are 533 Salem residents who have tested positive for novel coronavirus (COVID-19), of which 308 cases are currently active. 26 Salem residents have died from the virus. Since the outbreak began, 225 Salem residents who had been infected by the virus have cleared their isolation period. As of May 12, 2020, Salem’s case rate was 5.4% below the state case rate. Additional charts showing demographic data of Salem cases through May 15 are included below.

For more information about COVID-19, please visit www.coronavirus.gov and www.mass.gov/coronavirus. Mass DPH has posted an FAQ at https://www.mass.gov/info-details/frequently-asked-questions-about-covid-19 and has activated an information line that can be reached by dialing 2-1-1.

Visit www.salem.com/together to find community resources, ask for help, or sign up to volunteer through Salem Together.