Every week on the MA Department of Public Health releases numbers for how COVID-19 has impacted the state, and we try to highlight some of these numbers so the community is informed. Their numbers factor in the past week as well as the week before, giving 2 weeks worth of data.

There are currently 95 communities in the yellow category (with 4-8 cases per 100K), & 76 communities in the red (with more than 8 cases per 100K). The number of communities in the red category has slowed, but there was a quick increase over just a few weeks that led to the number tripling. Thankfully this week only 13 were added. The number of communities in the yellow has fluctuated, but the past several weeks have only seen increases.

State public health officials updated the metric that measures community COVID-19 transmission risks that will incorporate examples where cases at colleges, nursing homes, or jails may push an entire community into the red category and affect decisions about in-person learning, according to the state education commissioner, who added Tuesday that fears of super-spreading schools have turned out to be “somewhat unfounded.” The green-yellow-red stoplight metric announced in August by Governor Baker was quickly adopted by state education officials as the way to determine if in-person, hybrid or remote learning is the best approach in a new school year marked by grave concerns over virus transmission possibilities. The governor a month later emphasized that districts should not react to single incidents, and should make decisions based on three weeks work of community virus data. At Tuesday’s meeting, Commissioner Riley said he expects the updates to its stoplight metric will reflect “more nuanced” information about virus cases.

Below are the statistics for Lynn & the state, neither of which carry good news. The City of Lynn has seen 2 weeks in a row of growing numbers after several weeks of decreasing numbers–including a 1% increase in positivity rates in just 1 wee). Additionally, at this time, MA as a whole qualifies as being in the red category for the second week in a row. The last three weeks the rate per 100,000 went from 7.3 to 8.7 to 9.2.

City/Town	Total Case Count	Case Count (Last 14 Days)	Average Daily Incidence Rate per 100,000 (Last 14 days)	Relative Change in Case Counts	Total Tests	Total Tests (Last 14 days)	Total Positive Tests (Last 14 days)	Percent Positivity (Last 14 days)	Change in Percent Positivity
Lynn	5,214	244	17.3	Higher	65,011	7,399	315	4.26%	Higher
STATEWIDE	142,941	8,980	9.2	Higher	5,366,394	885,959	11,011	1.24%	Higher

In the past we have listed all of the communities in the red category, along with their statistics. Because of the increasing number of red communities we will not be listing them all until they have gone below 20 communities again. If you would like to find out full statistics you can find the full report from MA Dept. of Public Health by clicking here.

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Voter registration deadline, Election Office open until 8PM tomorrow

You have a right to vote, free from intimidation and harassment. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey wants to empower you with the information you need to vote and the confidence to know your vote will be counted.

The voter registration deadline in Massachusetts is tomorrow (Saturday, October 24th). You can either register or confirm your voter registration by clicking here. Voters have four options on how to cast their ballots this year which include voting: early by mail, early in person, in person on election day or absentee. Learn more about your rights and important upcoming deadlines here: www.mass.gov/protectthevote

Special Lynn City Council meetings to be held tomorrow at 10:30am & 11am

Tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 24th) the Lynn City Council will be holding two special meetings, both to be broadcast live on our government access channel on TV & online (see below).

The agenda for the first meeting at 10:30am includes a petition for a marijuana retailer at 100 Ford Street & a demolition order for 16 Flint Street. The second meeting at 11am involves public hearings based on petitions around human rights & police reform that Prevent The Cycle has worked on (along with other community organizations).

Prevent the Cycle has worked on holding a rally at Lynn Common before this public hearing at 10:30am. They also provided a summary of the changes they have been pushing for on Facebook, which you can find by clicking here.

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 425 with 40 new cases today. 4,853 Lynn residents have recovered and 122 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 5,390. Please visit the City of Lynn COVID-19 Data Dashboard which is updated daily.

Mayor McGee, EDIC and the State Delegation would like to announce the Baker-Polito Administration Economic Recovery Plan and Small Business Grants

Through the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC), they are administering $50.8 million in grant awards to businesses experiencing economic hardship and a loss of income due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The grants will range between $25,000 to $75,000.  Preference is given to small businesses that are minority and/or women owned, veterans, members of other underrepresented groups, or focused on serving the Gateway Cities of Massachusetts.  Preference is also given to applicants that have not been able to receive aid from other federal programs, including PPP and other relief related to COVID-19.

Timeline:  Application will be open for 3 weeks starting 10/22/20 and close on 11/12/20.

Applicant Eligibility:  Each program encompasses its own eligibility criteria.  Applicants must review the information of each program to determine eligibility.

Small Business Grants and eligibility criteria for 5 or fewer employees:  Click here

Small Business Grants and eligibility criteria for 50 or fewer employees:  Click here

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).