Government Healthcare Policy, Business and Technology

As Mass. COVID-19 metrics rise, state officials avoid defining how bad is too bad

The Boston Globe: On Tuesday, the Department of Public Health reported 21 new hospitalizations and 454 new cases, marking the 14th consecutive day that reported cases have exceeded 300. Though daily counts have fluctuated, on average, cases are rising steadily.

The state’s seven-day average for new cases per 100,000 residents on Oct. 4 was 8.20, meaning Massachusetts does not meet the criteria it uses to set interstate travel restrictions. Other states must have both a rate of positive tests below 5 percent and daily cases per 100,000 residents below 6, both averaged across seven days, for travelers from those states to visit Massachusetts without quarantining or testing negative.

Read article