Local COVID-19 updates

[edschweppe]

As of 4PM this afternoon, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is reporting (via their new dashboard format) one hundred fifty two more deaths from COVID-19 (for a total of 1,961 to date), 1,556 new cases (for a total of 41,199) and 5,974 more tests performed (for a total of 175,372).

Governor Baker today directed that schools (or, at least, school buildings) remain closed for the rest of this school year. As reported in the Boston Globe:

As the coronavirus pandemic maintains a sturdy grip on Massachusetts, Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday ordered all public and private schools to remain closed for the remainder of the academic year, dashing any hope that 12th-graders will return for graduation and assuring that all students will continue the grind of online learning for two more months.

Baker also ordered most day care centers to remain closed until the end of June. The two orders will likely have a domino effect on the state's workforce, as many parents juggle the demands of working at home while also overseeing their children’s education.

The extended school closures mean students will now be out of school for about six months — if classes resume in September. It is believed to be the longest-ever statewide shuttering of schools in Massachusetts, eclipsing what many considered to be a record set more than four decades ago when the Blizzard of '78 caused widespread school closures for much of February.

[ ... ]

Baker's decision ends weeks of speculation about whether there would be any chance of bringing students back together before the school year ends. Schools statewide have been closed since mid-March.

The town of Acton is reporting 45 confirmed cases in town, unchanged from yesterday (and in fact unchanged since last Thursday). The state's next town-by-town breakdown is expected tomorrow.