THE NUMBER of new COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts rose by 438 on Tuesday, the highest one-day increase since June 6.
The increases of late have been erratic even as the public’s focus on them has increased amid concerns the coronavirus is returning in strength and Gov. Charlie Baker has appealed to residents to exercise caution.
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Editor, CommonWealth
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
About Bruce Mohl
Bruce Mohl is the editor of CommonWealth magazine. Bruce came to CommonWealth from the Boston Globe, where he spent nearly 30 years in a wide variety of positions covering business and politics. He covered the Massachusetts State House and served as the Globe’s State House bureau chief in the late 1980s. He also reported for the Globe’s Spotlight Team, winning a Loeb award in 1992 for coverage of conflicts of interest in the state’s pension system. He served as the Globe’s political editor in 1994 and went on to cover consumer issues for the newspaper. At CommonWealth, Bruce helped launch the magazine’s website and has written about a wide range of issues with a special focus on politics, tax policy, energy, and gambling. Bruce is a graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University. He lives in Dorchester.
The number of new cases on Monday was 165 and on Sunday it was 353. The positive test rate (new cases divided by the total number of tests) rose to nearly 2.9 percent on Tuesday, pushing up the seven-day average to nearly 2.3 percent.
Baker has been saying for several days now that he will take action if the number of cases continues to rise, but he has declined to say what would trigger a response.
“We’ve only had a slight uptick from a low of 1.7 percent to 2 percent, but we’ll be forced to adjust our plans if the data warrants it,” Baker told reporters following a tour of the MedFlight headquarters in Bedford. “That could mean gathering sizes could be reduced or we could make some of our business regulations more strict. Reopening and staying open is obviously a big part of the goal, but, obviously, we can’t do that if we don’t have everybody’s help to continue to move forward.”
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