Salem Stays On High Coronavirus Risk List

SALEM, MA — The Massachusetts Department of Public Health updated its town-by-town coronavirus data Wednesday, dropping 23 communities from the "red," or high-risk designation.

Salem was not one of the communities, and remains one of 10 Massachusetts municipalities state officials say there is a high risk of COVID-19 transmission.

The designation is applied to communities where there were eight or more confirmed coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents over the two-week period ended Wednesday. In Salem, there were 10.47 new cases per 100,000 residents over the two-week period, up from 8.25 a week earlier.

Salem's positive test rate also rose to 3.87 percent, up from 3.17 percent a week ago. In the two weeks ended Wednesday, there were 74 new conformed COVID-19 cases in Salem, up from 52 for the two-week period ended Aug. 12.

On Thursday, Salem officials said there are currently 108 known, active coronavirus cases in Salem. Since the pandemic escalated in March, 36 Salem residents have died from the coronavirus, and 750 Salem residents have tested positive for COVID-19.

Communities in the yellow on the map below have had between four and eight coronavirus cases per 100,000 residents; communities in the green have had fewer than four coronavirus cases per 100,000; and communities in the white have had fewer than five confirmed cases.

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.

City 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.

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).