Worcester, MA
News
COVID-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates And Trends - Worcester County COVID-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates And Trends - Worcester County
Covid-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates And Trends - Worcester County Positive COVID-19 test rates are surging in Brookfield, North Brookfield, and Spencer, while Worcester's positive test rate is below the month's high in the city, according to the most recent information from the Baker Administration. Meanwhile, in West Brookfield and Webster, the 14-day COVID-19 positive test rate is going down. In Massachusetts, the goal is that by December the state will have less than 5 percent of COVID-19 tests come back positive. On Aug. 1, Gov. Charlie Baker reported the state’s 7-day positive test rate was at 2.1 percent, up from a low of 1.7 percent earlier this mo…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
Neighbors
COVID-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County COVID-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County
Covid-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County Positive COVID-19 test rates are going up, slowly, in Chicopee and Wilbraham, while West Springfield’s positive test rate continues to decline and Russell’s wildly high rate is starting to flatten out, according to the most recent information from the Baker Administration. Meanwhile, in Springfield, the 14-day COVID-19 positive test rate went up a little from last week to 2.9 percent, but it’s still below a high of 3.4 percent in the city earlier this month. In Massachusetts, the goal is that by December the state will have less than 5 percent of COVID-19 tests come back positive. On Aug. …

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19: Free Testing Coming To Worcester County, Western Massachusetts COVID-19: Free Testing Coming To Worcester County, Western Massachusetts
Covid-19: Free Testing Coming To Worcester County, Western Massachusetts Targetted COVID-19 testing sites are being dispatched to hot spots in Worcester County and Western Massachusetts. On Monday, July 27, Gov. Charlie Baker announced the expansion of the “Stop the Spread” initiative, which provides free COVID-19 testing where it’s most needed. New testing sites in the Western part of the state include: Agawam Springfield Worcester. The sites are now being launched and will be available through Aug. 14. More information about the location will be provided at mass.gov/stopthespread. Other communities included in the expansion are Brockton, Methuen, Randolp…

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by Kristin Palpini
Amherst, MA
News
COVID-19: Where Are The Hotspots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampshire County COVID-19: Where Are The Hotspots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampshire County
Covid-19: Where Are The Hotspots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampshire County All but two Hampshire County communities have a positive COVID-19 test rate under 2 percent. The Massachusetts 7-day positive COVID-19 test rate is at 1.7 percent, said Gov. Charlie Baker during a daily press conference on the pandemic. Reducing positive test rates to under 2 percent is a state goal. In Hampshire County, Goshen and Belchertown are the two communities with 14-day rates above 2 percent (7-day rates for individual communities are not provided by the state). The state economy is now in Phase 3 of a four-phase reopening plan. The fourth phase - which would see the reopening of …

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19: Where Are The Hotspots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County COVID-19: Where Are The Hotspots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County
Covid-19: Where Are The Hotspots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County There are six Hampden County communities with positive COVID-19 testing rates above 2 percent - is a higher than normal infection rate for Massachusetts. The Massachusetts 7-day positive COVID-19 test rate is at 1.7 percent, said Gov. Charlie Baker during a daily press conference on the pandemic. Reducing positive test rates to under 2 percent is a state goal. In Hampden County, Russell is still the municipality with the highest rate of positive COVID-19 tests, countywide, over the past 14 days (16.7 percent for Russell), followed by Chicopee, West Springfield, Holyoke, and Springfield. T…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19: Visitors And Massachusetts Residents Face $500 Per-Day Fine If They Don't Quarantine COVID-19: Visitors And Massachusetts Residents Face $500 Per-Day Fine If They Don't Quarantine
Covid-19: Visitors And Massachusetts Residents Face $500 Per-Day Fine If They Don't Quarantine People who don’t comply with Massachusetts’ travel order to stop the spread of COVID-19 could be fined $500 per day. Gov. Charlie Baker announced the new fines Friday, July 24, during a regular press conference. Earlier this week, Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont created a $1,000 fine for people who don't quarantine.  Visitors and in-state residents who are returning home must fill out a “Massachusetts Travel Form” and quarantine for 14 days. There are exemptions for people coming from the lower-risk states or can provide a negative COVID-19 test from the last 72 hours. Exempt states are Co…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19: No Rent, No Mortgage Payments Due Until October: Baker Extends Moratorium COVID-19: No Rent, No Mortgage Payments Due Until October: Baker Extends Moratorium
Covid-19: No Rent, No Mortgage Payments Due Until October: Baker Extends Moratorium Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has extended the pause on evictions and foreclosure into October. The eviction and foreclosure moratorium was put in place to help relieve some of the financial pressure people are facing now that COVID-19 has hampered the economy. The eviction hiatus began on April 20. The moratorium was set to expire on Aug. 18, now it will end on Oct. 17. Still, homeowners and renters are encouraged to make their regular payments as best as they are able. For the landlords, there’s a $20 million statewide fund, the Emergency Rental and Mortgage Assistance Program that be…

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County COVID-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County
Covid-19, Where Are The Hot Spots? Town-by-town Infection Rates And Trends - Hampden County Positive tests for COVID-19 continue to stay under 2 percent in Massachusetts. Massachusetts' seven-day positive test rate for COVID-19 has been below 2 percent since the beginning of July. On Friday, Gov. Charlie Baker said the positive rate for the past seven days is 1.7 percent. Meanwhile, in Hampden County Russell has the highest rate of positive COVID-19 tests countywide over the past 14 days, followed by Agawam, Monson, and West Springfield. The state economy is now in Phase 3 of a four-phase reopening plan. The fourth phase - which would see the reopening of business such as …

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by Kristin Palpini
Springfield, MA
News
COVID-19: Employees Filed Hundreds Of Safety Complaints Against Massachusetts Employers COVID-19: Employees Filed Hundreds Of Safety Complaints Against Massachusetts Employers
Covid-19: Employees Filed Hundreds Of Safety Complaints Against Massachusetts Employers Massachusetts has received about 900 complaints from employees who say their workplaces are not safe amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The complaints were submitted through a form Governor Charlie Baker’s administration debuted May 20. As of July 7, Attorney General Maura Healey’s office had received more than 900 complaints, according to the Boston Business Journal. Businesses that have been the subject of six or more complaints include Target, Home Depot, and Ocean State Job Lot. Through the online form, employees have reported violations that include a failure to social distance and a lack…

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by Kristin Palpini
Mount Pleasant, NY
News
COVID-19: 'It's Only Halftime - The War Is Not Won,' Cuomo Says As More Data Shows NY Past Peak COVID-19: 'It's Only Halftime - The War Is Not Won,' Cuomo Says As More Data Shows NY Past Peak
Covid-19: 'It's Only Halftime - The War Is Not Won,' Cuomo Says As More Data Shows NY Past Peak New York State will launch this week an aggressive program to test residents for antibodies showing they have been infected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) and recovered in a new measure to restart the economy amid more encouraging data. Gov. Andrew Cuomo made the announcement at midday on Sunday, April 19 on Long Island at the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research in Manhasset after touring the Northwell Health Core Laboratories.  The testing initiative is seen as vital in determining when it is safe for non-essential businesses to reopen and comes as positive signs c…

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by Joe Lombardi
Fairfield, CT
News
COVID-19: NY, NJ, CT Among Seven States Working Together Developing Plans To Reopen Economies COVID-19: NY, NJ, CT Among Seven States Working Together Developing Plans To Reopen Economies
Covid-19: NY, NJ, CT Among Seven States Working Together Developing Plans To Reopen Economies This story has been updated. New York, New Jersey and Connecticut are among now seven states in the region forming committees to determine proper protocols to reopen the economy in the region as the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to plague the country. The governors from the tristate area joined their counterparts from Pennsylvania, Delaware and Rhode Island in announcing during a conference call on Monday, April 13 that they are forming committees to share information and advice as they look to slowly begin reopening some parts of their economies. After that announcement,…

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by Zak Failla
DV Plus - Fairfield, CT
Politics
Lamont Announces Multi-State Effort To Curb Vaping, Cannabis, Smoking Hazards Lamont Announces Multi-State Effort To Curb Vaping, Cannabis, Smoking Hazards
Lamont Announces Multi-State Effort To Curb Vaping, Cannabis, Smoking Hazards After a meeting with the governor of New York on Wednesday, Sept. 25, Gov. Ned Lamont said states are working together to regulate recreational marijuana and vaping products. After meeting privately at Lamont’s official residence, he and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced there will be a meeting of regional partners on Oct. 17 to discuss ways states can come up with some common details for a possible legalized recreational marijuana program, such as taxation rates and what forms of marijuana should be sold. Cuomo said states are getting a lot of confusion and a lot of debate -- but n…

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by Jon Craig