Politics & Government
Salem Coronavirus Threat Rises In Latest State Report
In the most recent update of the state's coronavirus map, Salem's case count and positive test rates rose.
SALEM, MA — Salem remained one of the state's riskier communities for coronavirus transmission, according to data released by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health Tuesday.
The percentage of positive test results for Salem residents over the past 14 days rose to 3.17 percent. The number of new cases, 52, was also higher. For the two weeks ended Aug. 12, Salem recorded a daily incidence rate of 8.25 new cases per 100,000 residents.
View the state's interactive COVID-19 map.
Find out what's happening in Salemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Salem joined the state's "Stop the Spread" testing program Monday after the state said it was a high-risk community for spreading COVID-19. The designation by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health last week forced Salem officials to scrap a plan to begin the school year with some in-person learning.
On Monday, Salem Public Schools said it asked five students and five to seven staff members at the LEAP Saltonstall Summer program to quarantine after another staff member tested positive for the coronavirus. Last week the Salem YMCA reported that a staff member and several children at its daycare program had contracted the virus.
Find out what's happening in Salemfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Now, officials are asking residents to report gatherings that violate the state's order banning indoor gatherings of more than 25 people and outdoor gatherings of more than 50 people to Salem police. Officials also want help in enforcing Salem's mask order, which calls for fines of up to $300 for people caught without a face covering in certain areas of the city.
About a fifth of Salem's new coronavirus cases since July 1 have been in people under the age of 19, and 40 percent have been in people under the age of 40. Since July 1, 51 percent of cases have been reported by Latino residents, event though the city's Latino population is just 19 percent of the total population.
Dave Copeland covers the North Shore for Patch. He can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).
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