MA Coronavirus Cases Hit 95, More Than 1,000 Quarantined

BOSTON — State officials on Wednesday announced three more cases of the new coronavirus, bringing the total to 95.

More than 1,000 people in Massachusetts have been subjected to self-quarantine due to coronavirus concerns, state health officials said in their weekly update Wednesday.

Of the 1,083 people, 445 of them are currently being monitored and self-quarantining. The rest have completed monitoring and are no longer under any form of quarantine.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health revealed the numbers a day after Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency. He said the number of cases was expected to increase with more testing.

Officials were also concerned by what they said was the "community spread" of the virus in the Berkshires. Some of those who contracted the virus were not linked to traveling or the recent Biogen conference in Boston that was to blame for most of the cases statewide.

Massachusetts officials are expected provide another update later Wednesday afternoon.

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BU, UMass latest to go online

More colleges, including Boston University, Emerson College, Northeastern University, Tufts University, Suffolk University and UMass told students not to come back from spring break and to continue the semester via online means. Meanwhile, more public school districts canceled class amid growing concerns.

DPH head receives more authority

Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel on Wednesday morning received new powers that give her sole authority to order people suspected of having coronavirus into isolation or quarantine. Normally, she would need approval from the Public Health Council.

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Encore Boston Harbor will take the temperature of guests and employees — literally.

"We will soon begin temperature screening guests and employees entering our resort," the resort casino said in a statement. "Guests or employees with a temperature of 100 or higher will be referred to a medical professional for further screening or treatment.

MIAA postpones some high school playoff games

Two MIAA high school basketball games have been postponed. The Division 3 boys' game, Sutton versus Sabis, and the Division 4 girls' game, Maynard versus Monson, will be postponed until another host site can be found.

All other hockey and basketball playoff games are on as scheduled as of Wednesday afternoon. MIAA officials said they will provide updates accordingly.

State House remaining open, canceling some events

The State House said it will remain open but is canceling all public events. Leadership is looking at ways the House and Senate can go about their legislative business while minimizing risk.

Reporting from the State House New Service was used in this report