LYNN NEWS ROUND-UP
FEBRUARY 26, 2021
See our COVID-19 related posts by clicking here.
Lynn is currently in Phase 3, Step 1 of Reopening.
Click here for more info.
A vaccination site has opened at Lynn Tech, find out more & watch a video tour by clicking here.
Weekly COVID-19 numbers from Massachusetts Dept. of Public Health
Every week the MA Dept. of Public Health releases numbers for how COVID-19 has impacted the state, and we try to highlight some of these numbers so the community is informed about how COVID is impacting Lynn & the state. Their numbers factor in the past week as well as the week before, giving 2 weeks worth of data.
The City of Lynn is still a high-risk community, passing 15,000 total cases 2 weeks ago. Lynn currently has approx. 270 active cases, down from 449 last week & 1,100 cases the week before. This is the lowest amount of active cases in Lynn since last spring. There were also only 19 new cases reported, the lowest seen since October. Another piece of promising news is that no new deaths have been reported since Feb. 19th, and only 15 people have died in all of February.
Overall the numbers are trending very well for Lynn, but caution ia still urged. There is concern a lack of vaccine availability, the coming warmer weather, & loosening restrictions could cause a spike in cases. With those factors in mind it is still recommended to take COVID-19 seriously until you’ve been fully vaccinated, & even after to still mask up and distance for at least a little while to help mitigate the spread to ensure those that aren’t able to get the vaccine yet remain healthy.
The average daily incidence rate per 100,000 for Lynn this week was 31.4. The last 4 weeks it was at 43.7, 57.2, 71.2, & 92.4. The positivity rate this week was 5.32%. The last 4 weeks this rate was 6.89%, 8.19%, 9.12%, 10.70%. These are all positive trends for Lynn, which hasn’t seen consistently good numbers like this for months. You can view these trends for Lynn yourself on the City of Lynn’s COVID-19 dashboard by clicking here. You can click the icon in the top-right corner of each section to see it enlarged.
The state of Massachusetts has also seen some positive trends overall. The average daily incidence rate per 100,000 for MA this week was 23.3. The last 4 weeks it has been 30.0, 38.5, 48.9, & 59.4. The positivity rate this week was 2.15%. The last 4 weeks it has been 2.70%, 3.40%, 4.32%, & 5.51%. This week we have also dipped below 30 communities in the red category, something we haven’t seen in months. Unfortunately Lynn continues to be in the red, as it has been since the start of this classification system.
The United States currently has 28.4 million cases, up from 27.9 million last week. The US had consistently added 1 million cases a week for several weeks, however there have now been 2 weeks in a row where that hasn’t happened. There are currently 113 million cases reported worldwide, up from 110 million last week. Daily records had been broken frequently for new cases & deaths within 24 hours in early January, however new case numbers have dropped significantly & and deaths have remained fairly consistent for several weeks. At it’s height back in early January 208,336 new cases were reported with a 7-day average of 254,873. Currently there are only 77,804 new cases reported and a 7-day average of 69,450.
The death toll in the US now sits at approx. 508K, up from 493K last week, accounting for about 20% of all COVID-19 deaths worldwide & double the next highest total for a single country. The good news is that deaths are trending downwards, and on track to returning to lower levels we saw in late fall. The current 7-day average for deaths in the United States sits at 2,165.
In Massachusetts there are currently 28 communities in the red category & 190 in the yellow category. The last 4 weeks there were 66, 120, 153, & 192. communities in the red. The last 4 weeks there were 166, 137, 108, & 80 communities in the yellow.
In late fall Mass DPH began to use a different system for categorizing communities, based off their populations. Communities with populations less than 10,000 residents, between 10,000 & 50,000 residents, & more than 50,000 residents have had new metrics applied to them. Their results fall into 4 color categories; grey, green, yellow, & red. Positivity rates & average daily cases will continue to be determined by two-week rolling average. Officials say the new categories help to make the community-specific data more nuanced, and better account for increases in cases in smaller communities. They will also incorporate examples where cases at colleges, nursing homes, or jails may push an entire community into the red category. The new metrics are as follows:
- For communities with fewer than 10,000 residents:
- Grey = 10 or fewer cases
- Green = 15 or fewer cases
- Yellow = 25 or fewer cases
- Red = More than 25 cases.
- For communities with between 10,000 and 50,000 residents:
- Grey = 10 or fewer cases
- Green = Less than 10 average cases per 100,000 residents & more than 10 cases
- Yellow = 10 or more cases per 100,000 residents or a test positivity rate of 5% or more
- Red = 10 or more cases per 100,000 residents and a test positivity rate of 5% or more
- For communities with more than 50,000 residents:
- Grey = 15 cases or less
- Green = 10 average cases per 100,000 residents and more than 15 cases
- Yellow = 10 or more cases per 100,000 residents or a test positivity rate of 4% or more
- Red = 10 or more cases per 100,000 residents and a test positivity rate of 4% or more
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Below are the statistics for Lynn & the state.
| City/Town | Total Case Count | Case Count (Last 14 Days) | Average Daily Incidence Rate per 100,000 (Last 14 days) | Relative Change in Case Counts | Total Tests | Total Tests (Last 14 days) | Total Positive Tests (Last 14 days) | Percent Positivity (Last 14 days) | Change in Percent Positivity |
| Lynn | 15,174 | 443 | 31.4 | Lower | 181,251 | 10,491 | 558 | 5.32% | Lower |
| STATEWIDE | 543,696 | 22,732 | 23.3 | Lower | 15,776,531 | 1,232,633 | 26,554 | 2.15% | Lower |
If you would like to find out full statistics for the entire state, including maps & town-by-town data, you can find the full weekly report from MA Dept. of Public Health by clicking here (link downloads a PDF).
Previous Weekly Public Health Reports can be found by clicking here.
All information above was obtained via official state & federal sources.
Find a mass vaccine location near you by clicking here.
Schedule an appointment at the Lynn Tech Vaccination site by clicking here.
For phasing details and the most up-to-date status of where MA is in our vaccination timeline please click here.
Baker-Polito Administration Announces Plans for Continued Reopening
Phase IV planned to start March 22
Yesterday, the Baker-Polito Administration announced that Massachusetts would advance to Step 2 of Phase III of the state’s reopening plan on Monday, March 1, and also announced its plan to transition to Step 1 of Phase IV on Monday, March 22. With public health metrics continuing to trend in a positive direction, including drops in average daily COVID cases and hospitalizations, and vaccination rates continuing to increase, the Administration is taking steps to continue to reopen the Commonwealth’s economy.
The Administration also announced more than $49 million in awards to 1,108 additional small businesses in the eighth round of COVID-19 relief grants administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC). These new awards are the result of work by MGCC to engage with applicants that meet sector and demographic priorities but are missing certain documents that are necessary to be considered for an award.
Phase III, Step 2:
On May 18, 2020, the Baker-Polito Administration released a four-phased plan to reopen the economy conditioned on sustained improvements in public health data. As of October, 2020, the reopening had proceeded to Step 2 of Phase III of the plan. On December 13, 2020, in response to an increase in new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations following the Thanksgiving holiday, the Commonwealth returned to Step 1 of Phase III, reducing capacities across a broad range of sectors and tightening several other workplace restrictions.
Since the beginning of this year, key public health data, such as new cases and hospitalizations, have been closely monitored and a significant decline has been documented, allowing for a return to Step 2 of Phase III, effective March 1 for all cities and towns. This includes the following updates to businesses, activities and capacities:
- Indoor performance venues such as concert halls, theaters, and other indoor performance spaces will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity with no more than 500 persons
- Indoor recreational activities with greater potential for contact (laser tag, roller skating, trampolines, obstacle courses) will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity
- Capacity limits across all sectors with capacity limits will be raised to 50% and exclude employees
- Restaurants will no longer have a percent capacity limit and will be permitted to host musical performances; six-foot social distancing, limits of six people per table and 90 minute limits remain in place
Residents must continue to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID-19, and are encouraged to avoid contact outside of their immediate households. The Travel Advisory and other public health orders remain in effect.
Gathering Changes and Phase IV Start
Provided public health metrics continue to improve, effective on March 22, all communities in Massachusetts will move into Step 1 of Phase IV of the state’s reopening plan. This will open a range of previously closed business sectors under tight capacity restrictions that are expected to be adjusted over time if favorable trends in the public health data continue. Effective on the planned advancement to Step 1 of Phase IV, the following industries will be permitted to operate at a strict 12% capacity limit after submitting a plan to the Department of Public Health (DPH):
- Indoor and outdoor stadiums
- Arenas
- Ballparks
Also effective on March 22, gathering limits for event venues and in public settings will increase to 100 people indoors and 150 people outdoors. Outdoor gatherings at private residences and in private backyards will remain at a maximum of 25 people, with indoor house gatherings remaining at 10 people.
Additionally, dance floors will be permitted at weddings and other events only, and overnight summer camps will be allowed to operate this coming summer. Exhibition and convention halls may also begin to operate, following gatherings limits and event protocols. Other Phase IV sectors must continue to remain closed.
COVID-19 Business Relief Grants
Today, an additional 1,108 businesses are receiving COVID-19 relief grants totaling more than $49 million in awards to help with expenses like payroll, benefits, utilities and rent. To date, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded more than $563 million in direct financial support to 12,320 businesses impacted by the pandemic through the Small Business and Sector-Specific Grant Programs.
Each business meets sector and demographic priorities set for the two grant programs. More than half of grantees are restaurants, bars, caterers, operators of personal services like hair and nail salons, and independent retailers. Over half of the businesses receiving relief are women-and-minority-owned enterprises.
Today’s awards are the result of a process by MGCC to engage directly with applicants that met sector and demographic priorities but were missing documents necessary to be considered for an award. MGCC is continuing to work with business owners in targeted sectors and demographic groups to allow for applicants to submit necessary documents.
The above press release is courtesy of the State of MA.
Building Bridges Through Music Inc. receives $50,000 grant
Building Bridges Through Music Inc, announced they have recently received a first-time, $50,000 grant from the Boston Foundation’s Open Door Grants program.
This will help to sustain program operations during the pandemic. “This grant will allow Building Bridges Through Music to provide a safe environment for the children, continue to compensate teachers, and minimize operational expenses,” Doreen Murray said today. “We look forward to building upon our record of helping students in Lynn, MA and surrounding areas integrate music into academic subjects, expressive arts, and social skills building, providing an alternative to large after-school-program settings; providing a safe and supportive environment.
We are truly grateful for the generous support from the Boston Foundation and are excited to be able to provide expanded services to the children and families we serve during and beyond this challenging “new norm”.
For more information about programs and enrollment offered by Building Bridges through Music, Inc, please visit our website, www.bbtmusic.org, or call our office, 781. 479-8327.
The above press release was submitted to us by Building Bridges Through Music.
SCAM ALERT FROM LYNN POLICE DEPT.
We have received reports of a scam where the victims have been contacted by individuals claiming to be from “Amazon”. The suspect informs the victim that their accounts have been hacked and requests payment in the form of gift cards in order to have their money refunded. Please do not give out any personal information over the phone and do not purchase gift cards to pay the bill. Simply hang up the phone.
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Residents should be aware of a fraud scheme recently reported which involves an unsolicited text message such as the one below being received via cell phone. Recipients are asked to access the highlighted link which will lead to a fraudulent website masked as being that of the MA Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA). This site will ask for the recipient’s social security numbers and passwords. The texts are send randomly in large groups with the hopes that they are received by those actually receiving unemployment benefits. When the information is entered, the recipient’s social security number and password are captured at which time the password is changed. Those operating the scheme can then divert the recipient’s unemployment benefits elsewhere. If you receive a text similar to the one below, simply delete it. If you are collecting unemployment benefits and wish to verify whether the MA (DUA) is attempting to contact you, delete the text and contact the (DUA) either directly through their website or on their customer service phone number.
The above info. was taken from posts made by the Lynn Police Dept.’s official Facebook page.
Updates from state government
As of Thursday night, DPH reported a total of 545,624 cases of COVID-19. The state reported 1,928 new confirmed cases. The state has now confirmed a total of 15,657 deaths from the virus.- The Baker administration took a major step forward Thursday to reopen parts of the economy that have been shuttered, in some cases, since the beginning of the pandemic. EDITOR’S NOTE: Details on this plan are outlined above.
- The Baker administration also announced that an eighth round of small business recovery grants totaling $49 million had been awarded to an additional 1,108 businesses, bringing the total amount of state support so far to $563 million for 12,320 businesses to help COVID-19 impacted employers cover payroll, rent and other expenses.
- Governor Baker spoke about the state’s COVID-19 vaccine rollout and engaged in a back-and-forth on the particulars of the effort with the Legislature’s COVID-19 committee for an hour Thursday. Governor Baker logged onto the Legislature’s first COVID-19 oversight hearing Thursday morning armed with statistics about the state’s improving virus conditions and his administration’s efforts to get COVID-19 vaccines into the arms of more residents.
- Massachusetts is tops in the nation for first doses administered per capita among states with five million or more people; the Bay State has administered more than three times more doses per capita than the European Union and more than five times more per capita than Canada; the state ranks second in the country for percentage of Black residents who have gotten at least one shot; and “much of the news on COVID is better than it’s been in quite some time,” the governor said from his ceremonial office in the State House.
- Governor Baker, in his prepared remarks and in response to questions from lawmakers, cited the constraints in the supply of the two federally-approved vaccines as the primary challenge and defended his administration’s decisions to prioritize groups that other states did not, like group home residents and staff, inmates and staff at prisons and jails, and all hospital workers. Governor Baker acknowledged the frustration that many residents have experienced as they try to use the state’s website to get a vaccination appointment for themselves or a loved one but he defended the site as an important reason for the state’s vaccination numbers and suggested some of it was inevitable given that “demand outstrips supply 10 times over.”
- Lawmakers late Thursday also repeatedly pressed Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders to share with them the administration’s plan for distributing the limited supply of COVID-19 vaccine doses among hospitals, community health centers, mass vaccination sites and other providers. The focus on the distribution comes a week after the Baker administration announced it would stop providing first doses to local boards of health running their own clinics in favor of streamlining the vaccine rollout through high-capacity locations like mass vaccination sites and regional collaboratives. In addition to agreeing to provide the committee with the plan, Secretary Sudders also agreed to return in two weeks to again testify before the oversight panel.
- Legislation nixing a required special election in Boston if Mayor Marty Walsh is confirmed as labor secretary by March 5 is heading to Governor Baker’s desk Thursday after both branches took final voice votes on the bill (H 67). The governor has previously suggested he’s on board with the bill. If signed into law, the bill’s passage would clear a path for City Council President Kim Janey to serve as acting mayor until a new person is elected to the position during the regularly scheduled Nov. 2 election.
- The House also sent legislation (H 71) to the House Ways and Means extending voting by mail options until the summer, a day after Speaker Ronald Mariano said the lower chamber eventually “looks forward to making vote by mail a permanent way for residents to exercise their right to vote during and beyond the pandemic.”
- The House sent governor’s fiscal 2022 budget proposal (H 1) to House Ways and Means and legislation from Baker expanding sports wagering (H 70) to the Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.
- As a proposed Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management held its first hearing Thursday, there was no action on the differing House and Senate proposals for new Joint Rules, which include the language creating that committee.
- As the Baker administration continues its push to scale back MBTA services in the face of significantly reduced ridership, a union-backed coalition is launching an ad blitz to highlight the negative impact of the strategy on low-income residents and communities of color. The coalition, Public Transit Public Good, argues service cuts should be pulled back given a massive infusion of federal aid to transit authorities, and the likelihood that more aid is coming from Washington in another developing relief bill.
Special thanks to MassAccess for providing us these updates.
Updates from Lynn Dept. of Public Works on composting & rain barrels.
Click to view full-resolution images
From Mayor McGee’s office: The Lynn Public Health Department has confirmed that as of today, the number of active, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is 289 with 40 new cases today. 15,047 Lynn residents have recovered and 193 have died. The total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Lynn since March 21, 2020, including those who have died and recovered, is 15,529. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.
COVID-19 vaccine appointments are available at Lynn Tech Fieldhouse for people who live or work in Lynn & Nahant or are Lynn Community Health Center Patients and meet state eligibility requirements (Massachusetts Phase 1 & Phase 2 Step 1 & 2: 65 year of age or older or with two or more chronic health conditions. Residents age 75+ may be accompanied by one caregiver who can book an appointment themselves.) Please visit https://www.lchcnet.org/covid-19-vaccine-scheduling to make an appointment online. Residents can call 2-1-1 to make an appointment 7 days a week.
Please visit http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/covid19/resources.shtml#p7GPc1_2 for the most up to date COVID-19 testing information, as well as more detailed information on the State and City of Lynn’s Reopening Guidelines. We will continue to provide regular updates on COVID-19 through the City website (www.lynnma.gov), social media, and the Smart 911 emergency notification system (sign up at www.smart911.com).
If you have a news story that you would like to share, please contact us via email or call 781-780-9460.
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