Lynn’s COVID-19 cases keep rising
LYNN — As coronavirus cases continue to rise in Lynn, new health data shows the city has the worst outbreak in the state.
Lynn has the second highest positive test rate in the state over the past 14 days, at 7.09 percent, which is nearly five times the state average of 1.5 percent, according to the state Department of Public Health.
But the city’s undesirable runner-up position is only a technicality, as the state leader, Russell, has a positive rate of 9.09 percent based on just four positive tests out of 44 people tested the past 14 days.
The Hampden County town has a population of less than 2,000, according to the most recent census.
By comparison, data released Wednesday night shows that Lynn, a city with a population more than 94,000, has 395 positive tests out of 5,569 people tested in the past 14 days.
Massachusetts to offer rapid mobile testing units to schools
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts health officials will begin offering rapid mobile testing units to schools that request them in the fall as Gov. Charlie Baker continues to encourage schools in communities with low coronavirus transmission rates to open for full or hybrid in-classroom teaching.
The testing units would be deployed if a school meets certain criteria and requests the help.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders said Thursday that the criteria would include two or more students, teachers or staff members not from the same household who test positive for COVID-19 within a 14-day period, with the transmission of the disease likely occurring in the classroom.
REPORT WARNS OF CLIMATE THREATS TO COASTLINE
By Paul Leighton Staff Writer, Salem News
PSWICH — In Salem, a 10-year storm could flood more than 1,000 buildings in the year 2050. In Beverly, beach erosion will threaten oceanfront homes and neighborhoods. In Ipswich, Crane Beach will continue to erode dramatically, adding to the 84 football fields of beach that have already been lost.
Those are some of the bleak scenarios laid out in a new report that analyzes the future impacts of climate change on 13 North Shore communities. The report, called State of
the Coast, was released Thursday by The Trustees of Reservations and urges action to prevent further damage to the area’s coastline.
In an event held at the Crane Estate amid a dramatic ocean backdrop, Tom O’Shea of The Trustees said North Shore communities can no longer postpone decisions on what he called “climate-facing emergency planning.”
Small Business Relief Grants Now Available in Newburyport
Mayor Donna D. Holaday is pleased to announce the launch of a Small Business Relief Grant Program. Up to $10,000 is available to qualified small businesses in Newburyport with 5 or fewer employees affected by COVID-19. Small businesses can apply for grant funds to pay for rent/mortgage, employee wages, and technical assistance to help them get back on their feet and adjust to a new economic normal.
