Stoughton Coronavirus Update: Number of Cases Rise To 29

STOUGHTON, MA —There are 29 positive cases of the new coronavirus in Stoughton as of Tuesday, according to the latest numbers from local health officials.

Town Manager Robin Muksian Grimm said she expects the number of cases will continue to climb, but given that Stoughton is one of the larger towns in Norfolk County, the number is concerning but not staggering. As of Monday afternoon, there were 628 cases of COVID-19 in the county.

The number of cases continues to rise across the state, and additional measures to stem its spread continue to be implemented. The governor has declared a Stay at Home advisory. All non-essential businesses have been closed, and Gov. Charlie Baker extended their closure until at least May 4.

Stoughton Public Safety has received additional personal protective equipment from the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. Police and fire officials picked up the equipment Monday in Marlborough and distributed it to each department.

"Each department has been working tirelessly to secure this much needed equipment through private vendors after hearing that supplies at the state and federal levels were very limited, Grimm, Fire Chief Michael Laracy and Police Chief Donna McNamara said in a joint statement.

Town officials said they thought they had secured an order from a company in Maine only to find out the the CEO was charged with security fraud and theft by deception. This delayed Stoughton public Safety from getting supplies by more than a week.