Fall River's cases up 18 over the weekend; most of Mass. moves into second step of Phase 3

Monday marked the day that all but 29 high-risk communities in Massachusetts are allowed to advance to the next step of Gov. Charlie Baker's economic reopening plan, a level which includes indoor performance venues at half-capacity, retail store fitting rooms, and recreational activities like laser tag and trampoline parks.

As most of the state entered the second step of Phase 3, the Department of Public Health reported 465 new COVID-19 cases and 20 new deaths linked to the respiratory disease, along with a seven-day average positive test rate that has now been at 1.1% for a week straight. Moving into the fourth and final phase of the Baker administration's restart plan hinges on development of a vaccine or therapeutic.

Fall River cases rise

Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan announced Monday that 18 more residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since Friday. To date, 2,162 people have tested positive for the coronavirus.

There were no new COVID-19-related deaths reported; the city's death toll stands at 135 people.

According to the state Department of Public Health, Morton Hospital in Taunton was caring for three COVID-19 patients. In Fall River, Charlton Memorial Hospital had eight patients with COVID-19, including one in the intensive care unit, and Saint Anne's Hospital had one COVID-19 patient.

More cases statewide

The state's COVID-19 caseload grew by 465 on Monday, rising to 132,905 in the latest report from the Department of Public Health.

After rising by 22 on Saturday, the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 grew again by 35 on Sunday, for a total of 473 hospitalizations statewide as of midday Monday. The three-day average of COVID-19 patients at the hospital stands at 442, a 46% increase over the lowest number observed this summer, 302 patients, according to the report.

A total of 9,315 people in Massachusetts with test-confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses have died since March, including 20 whose deaths were newly reported Monday. With deaths among probable COVID-19 cases added in, the fatality count grows to 9,530.

The rolling average rate of tests coming back positive remained at 1.1%. About one-third the state's population — 2,317,871 individuals — have now been tested for COVID-19.

List of lower-risk states shrinks

Travelers from Colorado, New Jersey, New Mexico and Washington state are subject to quarantine and/or testing requirements if they come to Massachusetts, while local public health officials have moved Washington, D.C., onto the list of states and territories not subject to the requirements. Travelers to Massachusetts from states on the higher-risk list must fill out a form explaining their trip and, upon arrival, either self-quarantine for 14 days or test negative for COVID-19. Tests up to 72 hours before departure will be considered valid.

To remain on Massachusetts' low-risk list, states must have fewer than six daily cases per 100,000 residents and maintain a positive test rate below 5% on a rolling, seven-day average basis. By that criteria, Massachusetts would be on its own higher-risk list. While the seven-day average of the positive test rate remains below 5% in Massachusetts, the state's own daily updates indicate 8.3 daily new cases of COVID-19 per 100,000 residents in the last seven days.

The Baker administration changes which states are deemed lower-risk based on COVID-19 transmission rates, and travelers from those states on the list are not subject to the requirements.

As of Monday, there are six jurisdictions that do not need to adhere to the Bay State's restrictions: Connecticut, New Hampshire, New York, Maine, Vermont and Washington, D.C.