Salem Sees Higher Coronavirus Rate Amid Halloween Visitor Influx

SALEM, MA — One of the state's metrics for measuring coronavirus rates pushed higher in Salem for a second straight week as the city attempts to slow the influx of visitors this Halloween season.

While the city's test-positive rate remained relatively steady at 1.28 percent, its rate of cases per 100,000 residents rose to 6.3. That keeps Salem as a "yellow" caution community in the
state's latest interactive map. The city had 52 new known positive cases over the past two weeks.

According to state data, Salem's test-positive rate last week was 1.33 percent after it was 1.1 percent one week previous. Salem had 5.3 cases per 100,000 residents last week after being at 4.0 the previous two weeks.

Earlier this week, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll released an advisory on Tuesday asking potential visitors to reconsider trips to Salem this month if they do not already have tickets or reservations after museums, restaurants and attractions sold out or reached capacity early this past weekend, and police closed roadways and walkways to keep people moving and promote social distancing amid the coronavirus health crisis.

"Ordinarily, there is no better place to celebrate Haunted Happenings and Halloween than in Salem," Driscoll said. "While we normally welcome visitors from around the globe to our city each fall, this is not a normal October. We want to support our many businesses, but our first priority is keeping residents, employees and visitors healthy and safe. Visitors can do their part by planning ahead and following all COVID-19 protocols and health orders.

"If you have not secured lodging or booked tickets in advance for your stay, you may want to consider saving your visit till 2021, when we hope to be recovered from this pandemic and able to enjoy our full array of unique activities and events."

The Salem Board of Health decided last week to keep the city in step one of phase 3 of the state's reopening — which keeps restaurant table party limits at six and public gathering limits at 25 — until at least Nov. 5 due to concerns about indoor overcrowding and a potential spike in cases.

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.

(Patch Editor Christopher Huffaker contributed to this report.)

Related Patch Coverage: MA Town-By-Town Coronavirus Stats: 40 High-Risk Communities

State Police Airwing Asked To Monitor Salem Halloween Crowds

Salem To Keep Strict Coronavirus Restrictions Through Halloween

Salem's Halloween Balance: Support Business, Keep Down Crowds