LYNN, MASS. (WHDH) - Lynn has become the new epicenter of the coronavirus in Massachusetts after surpassing Chelsea as the top high-risk community.
The City of Lynn has a positivity rate of 7.09 percent with 395 positive tests between Aug. 2 and 15, according to the state’s COVID-19 Community-Level Data Map.
This is double and even triple the number of cases compared to other North Shore hot spots, which include Salem, Saugus, Revere, Everett, Chelsea and Winthrop.
When Salem was added as a high-risk community earlier this month, school officials decided to switch to all remote learning in the fall.
In nearby Danvers, which has been labeled as a moderate-risk community, teachers rallied together Monday, calling for the school district to go fully remote.
“We have some beautiful new buildings, but we also have some old buildings,” Jody Sheehan, Vice President of the Danvers Teacher’s Association, said. “So, we’re very concerned about ventilation and we would just like to hear from outside experts that it truly is safe in our classrooms.”
Parents also gathered Monday in a counter rally to show their support for the school committee’s hybrid plan.
“I can’t teach them. I have a full-time job,” mother Ellen Dugas said. “They need to get back for that social and emotional situation too. It’s not just about being back in school and learning; it’s about being back in school and seeing their friends.”
In a statement, the Chair of the Danvers School Committee David Thomson said, “Starting the Danvers Public School year on September 16th in a hybrid model is far from ideal, but given the current environment it is the decision that has been made, along with the option for families to choose a fully remote model taught by Danvers educators.”
The teacher’s association wants the school committee to consider numbers outside of Danvers.
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