Updates from state government

• As of Monday night, DPH reported a total of 184,511 cases of COVID-19. The state has now confirmed a total of 10,110 deaths from the virus.
• New York Governor Andrew Cuomo convened an emergency coronavirus response summit of northeastern state governors over the weekend, but Governor Baker was not among the attendees. Calling COVID-19 policy alignment among states ideal, Cuomo on Friday said he had called governors from the states surrounding New York to participate in an emergency summit this weekend. The summit, he said, would involve six northeastern states, their governors and their staffs. Governor Baker did not participate due to a scheduling conflict, according to an aide.
• The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among hospitalized patients in Massachusetts swelled by 50 over the weekend, while the state’s significantly expanded testing infrastructure returned more than 4,900 positive tests over two days amid an ongoing second surge in the pandemic. On Sunday, two days after Governor Baker announced that the state would again stand up a field hospital at the DCU Center in Worcester, the Department of Public Health recorded 737 patients in hospitals.
• The rolling average number of hospitalized patients is now more than 300 percent higher than the lowest value observed in the outbreak’s valley, although it remains several times lower than the worst stretches of the spring, when active hospitalizations nearly reached 4,000.
• Public health officials also reported 2,841 newly confirmed COVID-19 cases on Saturday, one of the highest one-day totals since COVID-19 first hit Massachusetts more than eight months ago, and 2,076 on Sunday. While daily case numbers have spiked over the past month-plus to levels not observed since the springtime peak, the state is conducting far more tests than it was earlier this year.
• The rolling average positive test rate, which includes repeat tests of the same individuals, hovered at 3.1 percent in Sunday’s report. Excluding the frequent tests conducted for college and university populations, the statewide average positive test rate is about 5.2 percent. Positive tests rates in the spring often surpassed 20 percent.
• With plans to open debate on its version of a $46 billion state budget on Tuesday, Senate leaders are weighing a raft of major policy proposals offered by senators as amendments to the legislation, including efforts to head off MBTA service reductions. Senators filed 473 amendments to the annual state spending bill, which is currently four-and-a-half months overdue. Legislative leaders hope to wrap up the bill for Governor Baker to sign by the end of the month, and have cautioned against making major additions to the framework negotiated between the branches in the interest of preventing the budget from getting bogged down.
• The House added an expansion of abortion access to its budget bill, and Senate President Emerita Harriette Chandler filed a similar version of the ROE Act as an amendment to Senate budget. The House met briefly Monday morning to advance two pieces of legislation before adjourning until Thursday.
• The House enacted a bill to name a bridge in memory of a Gardner man who was killed in action in November 1943 while serving in the U.S. Army Air Force.
• The upper chamber’s COVID-19 rules say most senators are “encouraged” to participate in sessions remotely, except for the president, presiding officer, Ways and Means chairman, minority leader, and any others designated by the president as “necessary to facilitate the efficient operation of the session.”
• The Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council on Friday removed Cedric Cromwell as its chairman, an action that came hours after Cromwell was arrested and indicted on federal bribery and extortion charges. Cromwell pleaded not guilty Friday to bribery, extortion and conspiracy charges that federal prosecutors said stem from a self-enrichment scheme related to the tribe’s years-long quest to build a $1 billion resort casino in Taunton. During an emergency Tribal Council meeting on Friday afternoon, leaders unanimously approved a motion to remove Cromwell as chairman.
• Massachusetts casinos in October generated slightly less revenue for themselves and for the state than in September as the gaming industry across the country grapples with the latest coronavirus surge and new restrictions on casino operations. The Mass. Gaming Commission announced Monday that Plainridge Park Casino, MGM Springfield and Encore Boston Harbor had generated a cumulative $68.73 million in gross gaming revenue last month, down from $70.54 million in September and $71 million in August. Of that gross gaming revenue, the state is due $19.6 million, the commission said.
• The state’s take for October was lower than the $22.56 million full-month average since all three facilities have been in operation, though the state’s slots parlor and casinos are operating under capacity limits and other restrictions, like a 9:30 p.m. curfew that took effect this month. Massachusetts gambling centers were closed mid-March and reopened in July.

Special thanks to MassAccess for providing these updates.

From Mayor McGee’s office: The Lynn Public Health Department has confirmed that as of today, the number of active, confirmed positive COVID-19 cases is 1,004 with 64 new cases today. 5,593 Lynn residents have recovered and 127 have died. The total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Lynn since March 21, 2020, including those who have died and recovered, is 6,724. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.

The City of Lynn is hosting a Tele Town Hall on COVID-19 on Monday, November 23rd at 6PM. Mayor Thomas McGee and Public Health Director Michele Desmarais will be joined by several medical experts from Lynn Community Health Center, North Shore Medical Center and North Shore Physicians Group.

Stop the Spread Initiative Testing have been extended until December 31^st

Please visit http://www.ci.lynn.ma.us/covid19/resources.shtml#p7GPc1_2 for more information on how you can get a free COVID-19 test in the City of Lynn until December 31st.

We will continue to provide regular updates on COVID-19 through the City website (www.lynnma.gov), social media, and the Smart 911 emergency notification system (sign up at www.smart911.com).