By Beth David, Editor
Mass. Governor Charlie Baker said on Tuesday that the ages have “flipped” and more people under the age of 30 are getting the virus than are people over 60. Around 38,000 young people have been diagnosed since March. He said approximately 300 people under the age of 30 are being diagnosed each day.
Gov. Baker said the big driver of virus infections is groups of people spending lots of time together in close proximity to each other. He said contact tracing indicates that more than half the new cases are from social gatherings and among housemates. He said people need to stop having parties.
The state has reported more than 1,000 new cases for four consecutive days, the worst it has been since May. Gov. Baker said that the numbers are higher for younger people, though.
Only 18 percent of cases are people over 60.
Officials also spoke about shutting down hockey teams in Mass., saying that the league and parents were not cooperating with contact tracers. It forced the hand of the state to shut down rinks statewide.
The state has also issued guidelines for Halloween, stressing that people should avoid being indoors with people outside of their households.
Visit https://www.mass.gov/news/halloween-during-covid-19 for more tips on how to have fun on Halloween during the pandemic.
The governor also spoke about Thanksgiving, saying that the traditions of Thanksgiving, such as sharing a meal at a crowded table with people from different households, and spending hours indoors together, create probably the “worst case scenario for spreading the virus.
He said people need to be responsible so businesses and schools can stay open, and to keep the hospitals from becoming overrun.
Fairhaven, Acushnet, Mattapoisett, Rochester and New Bedford are all red zones on the state’s data map. Only Marion is still in the low risk zone. Dartmouth is yellow/moderate risk.
Visit mass.gov/ for more information.
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