Braintree Coronavirus Update: 10 New Deaths

BRAINTREE, MA — Another 10 Braintree residents have died after contracting the new coronavirus, according to town health officials. As of Sunday, 699 residents have tested positive for the virus with 76 fatalities.

More than 68,000 people in Massachusetts have tested positive for the new coronavirus as of Sunday afternoon, according to Massachusetts Department of Health data. Nearly 6,300 residents of Norfolk County were among those who contracted the virus.

According to the data, there have been 158 additional deaths, bringing to total number of deaths statewide to 4,004. There were 1,824 newly reported cases since data was released Sunday afternoon, and 904 confirmed cases are currently in ICU.

In Massachusetts, there have been 314,646 COVID-19 tests performed, with 15,652 new tests reported Sunday

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Massachusetts residents will soon need to wear a face covering if they are public places where social distancing is not possible — including grocery and retail stores and public transportation. Gov. Charlie Baker told reporters Friday his executive order will go into effect May 6.

The order will not apply to children under the age of 2 or to those with medical exemptions. Anyone else not wearing will be subject to a $300 fine and could be denied entry into businesses.

Here are the latest updates from Braintree:

SCHOOLS
The Braintree Public Schools will be closed through the end of the 2019-2020 school year. This includes all schools and school activities.

BUSINESSES

Not everything is closed in Braintree because of the coronavirus pandemic. Many essential businesses are still open to provide services such as food take-out, eyecare and more. We've created a simple small business directory to help residents see what's open in Braintree.
We put a call out to local businesses on Patch this week and asked them to update their status, give details on how you can continue to patronize them and to let the community know how they can best help during these challenging times. You can find the local guide here.

GOVERNMENT
Mayor Charles Kokoros presented the Fiscal Year 2021 budget to the Town Council. Because of the new coronavirus pandemic, the budget will see its lowest annual increase in seven years. Kokoros told the Town Council Tuesday the proposed budget is about $143.4 million which represents a 2.84 percent increase from the previous year. MORE

HOSPITALS
South Shore Health has set up a drive-thru tent at Union Point in Weymouth. Patients experiencing symptoms consistent with COVID-19 should call the screening line at 781-681-0365. Upon calling, patients will be screened over the phone. If a patient meets state and federal criteria for testing, an appointment will be scheduled.