Beverly Coronavirus Numbers Remain Low Amid City's Cautious Route

BEVERLY, MA — The city's coronavirus test-positive rate remained in a good spot in the state's weekly report even as numbers rose statewide.

Beverly's test-positive rate sat at 0.14 percent with 1.56 cases per 100,000 residents. That keeps Beverly as a "green" safe community in the state's latest interactive map.

The city has had nine new known positive cases over the past two weeks.

The encouraging news comes amid a week when the Beverly Board of Health elected to keep the city in step one of phase 3 of the state's reopening as Gov. Charlie Baker allowed most low-transmission communities —such as Beverly — to move into step two, which allows restaurant table capacity to increase from six to 10, allows outdoor public gathering and store capacities to increase and opens up previously restricted facilities such as laser tag, roller skating rinks, trampoline parks and store fitting rooms.

It also comes in the same week two Beverly students tested positive for the virus and Beverly Superintendent of Schools Sara Charochak sent a letter to parents asking for strict adherence to the district's coronavirus-related safety protocols.

Forty communities were designated high-risk in the new town-by-town data released by the state Wednesday, up from 23 the week before. Positive test rates rose in over half of the state's 351 communities.

The positive test rate over the last two weeks increased in 176 — or 50.1 percent — of the 351 communities in the state. The rate fell in 68 — or 19.4 percent — communities and held steady in the remaining 148.

State rules mean that high-risk communities, plus others that were high-risk in the last two updates, cannot move on to the next phase of reopening. Towns were marked high-risk, or red, if they reported more than eight confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks.

With Wednesday's update, Dedham, Monson and Plainville cleared the required three weeks without being marked high-risk, and can move forward. A number of other communities were not red, Wednesday, but remain barred from reopening due to being high-risk more recently.

The following 19 communities were added to the list, Wednesday: Acushnet, Amherst, Brockton, Chelmsford, Dartmouth, Dudley, Holyoke, Hudson, Kingston, Leicester, Malden, Plymouth, Randolph, Southborough, Southbridge, Sunderland, Waltham, Webster and Woburn.

Related Patch Coverage: Beverly Backs Off Easing Restaurant, Gathering Restrictions

2 Beverly Students Test Positive For Coronavirus