Every week on the MA Department of Public Health releases numbers for how COVID-19 has impacted the state. Their numbers factor in the past week as well as the week before, giving 2 weeks worth of data.

There are currently 48 communities in the yellow category, with 4-8 cases per 100K. However a concerning stat is that there are now 13 communities in the red, with more than 8 cases per 100K, but on the plus side is that Lynn’s numbers are dropping. Below are the statistics for the communities in red, which includes Lynn.

The past two weeks have seen consecutive drops of around 1% in positivity rates here in Lynn, which is the best statistic to watch. We were at 6% 2 weeks ago, but now the positivity rate has almost been cut in half. While Lynn still tops the state in most categories they are mostly in regards to test amounts, which can be explained by Lynn being a part of the statewide “Stop the Spread” initiative and having a large population.

This dip in positivity rates is a very good sign, as it indicates less positive COVID-19 cases relative to the population of Lynn popping up. However the community is urged to remain vigilant, get tested, and follow distance & mask guidelines.

Join Sustainable Marblehead & SPUR next Sunday, September 20th from 10:30am-11:30am as they come together to care for our local communities.

They will be mobilizing volunteers to clean trash and debris from our ocean, beaches and parks in Lynn, Marblehead, Salem and Swampscott.

More information and volunteer registration can be found by clicking here.

Updates from state government

• As of Wednesday night, DPH reported a total of 121,396 cases of COVID-19. The state has now confirmed a total of 8,937 deaths from the virus.
• A state labor board ruled Tuesday night that Andover teachers had taken part in an illegal strike last week when they refused to enter school buildings and classrooms for professional development, ordering the local union to notify its members of their duty to return to school. The Andover School Committee last Tuesday filed a complaint after the Andover Education Association and its members refused to take part in special preparations related to COVID-19 safety measures for the reopening of school. The union argued that teachers should have been allowed to participate in the training outside of school buildings and classrooms. The Commonwealth Employment Relations Board, in a 35-page ruling, found the union and its members engaged in an unlawful strike on Aug. 31, rejecting the union’s argument that it should be allowed to “dictate where they perform their work.” Governor Baker on Wednesday applauded a ruling by a state labor board against Andover teachers who refused to enter school buildings last week for back-to-school training, but the head of the state’s largest union said she couldn’t guarantee the decision would discourage other educators from refusing to enter classrooms that they don’t think are safe.
• After mixed rulings in lower courts, Supreme Judicial Court justices heard arguments Wednesday from attorneys representing two convicted men who argued that the unprecedented circumstances warrant keeping them out of custody until the public health crisis subsides. Justices considered the two separate cases during one stretch of arguments Wednesday morning, after which they did not indicate when they plan to issue a ruling.
• A four-year project by Harvard Law School researchers examining the overrepresentation of people of color in the Massachusetts criminal justice system will guide officials as they seek to eliminate such racial and ethnic disparities, the state’s top judge said Wednesday. The newly released report, from Harvard Law’s Criminal Justice Policy Program, found that Black and Latinx people, when sentenced to incarceration, receive longer sentences than their white counterparts, and that racial and ethnic disparities in initial charging decisions are a driver of differences in sentence lengths.
• Out-of-work Massachusetts residents have received more than $200 million in enhanced unemployment benefits over the past week with more checks going in the mail, but Governor Baker said Wednesday that the new program created by President Donald Trump last month isn’t a sustainable long-term solution. The unemployment rate in Massachusetts in July was 16.1 percent, the highest in the nation.
• Governor Baker called on Democrats and Republicans in Washington to step up to help states support workers and pay for other government services. The governor said without more certainty on the availability of federal funds he could not commit to supporting a freeze in unemployment insurance rates, which has been suggested by the co-chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee Sen. Patricia Jehlen.
• Groups representing workers on Wednesday asked state labor officials to strengthen COVID-19 protections for employees of various types of businesses. The Department of Labor Standards held a hearing, the first of two, on a set of emergency regulations setting COVID-19 safety standards. Department director Michael Flanagan said the standards mirror the workplace safety measures put into place by Governor Baker as part of the protocols required for brick-and-mortar operations to reopen. Among other measures, the regulations establish rules for social distancing, hygiene and disinfection. They call for employers to craft “a written control plan” for COVID-19, not to allow workers with COVID-like symptoms to report for duty, and to notify local health officials if they become aware of a presumptive COVID-19 case or positive test within the workplace.
• The Boston Celtics announced that they are investing $25 million over the next 10 years in a multi-faceted effort to address racial injustice and social inequities in the Boston area. The Boston Celtics and their Shamrock Foundation announced the plan Tuesday, with $20 million coming from the Celtics investor group and $5 million from media assets and in-kind sources to support NBA efforts and local programs. The effort will be known as Boston Celtics United for Social Justice.

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 558 with 4 new cases today. 4,003 Lynn residents have recovered and 117 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 4,678. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.

Stop the Spread Initiative Testing have been extended until Wednesday, September 30th. 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 September 30th.

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).