BOSTON (WHDH) - The Massachusetts Department of Public Health released an updated list on Thursday detailing the number of coronavirus cases in cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
In an attempt to guide schools and businesses through the state’s phased reopening plan, the colors were previously based on an area’s average virus rate out of 100,000 people.
However, many communities across the Bay State do not reach the 100,000 resident threshold. This prompted health officials to revamp the color-coding system based on population size and positivity rate.
Fifty-five cities and towns now fall in the Department of Public Health’s highest-risk category for COVID-19 transmission under the state’s guidelines, up from the 32 that were reported last week.
The high-risk communities include:
- Abington
- Adams
- Athol
- Ayer
- Barnstable
- Blackstone
- Brewster
- Brockton
- Canton
- Carver
- Chicopee
- Dennis
- Dracut
- Everett
- Fall River
- Framingham
- Freetown
- Granby
- Halifax
- Hampden
- Hanson
- Harwich
- Lakeville
- Lawrence
- Lowell
- Ludlow
- Lynn
- Mansfield
- Mashpee
- Methuen
- Milford
- Monson
- Nantucket
- New Bedford
- North Attleboro
- Orange
- Palmer
- Peabody
- Pembroke
- Plainville
- Plymouth
- Raynham
- Sandwich
- Saugus
- Seekonk
- Southboro
- Springfield
- Sutton
- Templeton
- Tyngsboro
- Ware
- West Boylston
- West Bridgewater
- Williamstown
- Yarmouth
The Department of Public Health also releases information on the number of cases and contacts associated with clusters of infection in certain settings including households, organized sports, retail settings and social gatherings.
The report also states that 271,176 people have completed their quarantine to date and 11,139 are still undergoing theirs.
Click here to view a full town-by-town breakdown of data for all 351 communities in the Commonwealth.
Click here for more coronavirus coverage.
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