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    Tuesday, April 23, 2024

    Massachusetts adds New Hampshire, Maine to travel order list

    A look at coronavirus developments around New England:

    MAINE

    The state has exceeded 10,000 confirmed coronavirus cases, according to data released Saturday by the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

    The agency said the state has registered nearly 170 additional cases since Friday, for a total of more than 10,100 cases during the pandemic. More than 2,200 of those cases remain active. The state has registered 174 deaths from the virus.

    Maine’s seven-day average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks from about 125 on Nov. 6 to about 188 on Nov. 20, according to Johns Hopkins University.

    The state’s seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate has also risen over the past two weeks, from 1.66% on Nov. 6 to 2.16% on Nov. 20.

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    MASSACHUSETTS

    State health officials added New Hampshire and Maine on Saturday to its list of states where travelers must quarantine or provide a negative coronavirus test if entering or returning to Massachusetts.

    The two join 46 other states to be designated high risk by the state's Department of Health. The agency says states are included on the list if they average more than 10 new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents.

    Hawaii and Vermont are the only states still considered low risk that are exempt from the travel rules, which authorities have said can result in a $500-a-day fine for noncompliance.

    Massachusetts' seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks from about 1,447 on Nov. 6 to 2,550 on Nov. 20, according to Johns Hopkins University.

    The state's seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate has also risen over the past two weeks from 1.88% on Nov. 6 to 3.18% on Nov. 20.

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    VERMONT

    The state is increasing its contract tracing staff and testing capacity as it continues to see a surge in coronavirus cases.

    Officials said this week that the state’s contact tracing staff of about 40 will add about 20 more from the state National Guard and 10 more from the state Department of Public Safety over the next two weeks.

    Republican Gov. Phil Scott said testing locations will also ramp up to seven days a week and most residents will soon be about a 30-minute drive from a site.

    The state hopes to have the capacity to test 30,000 Vermonters a week, added Human Services Secretary Mike Smith.

    Vermont's seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks from about 24 on Nov. 6 to 102 on Nov. 20, according to Johns Hopkins University.

    The state's seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate has also risen over the past two weeks from 0.66% on Nov. 6 to 1.97% on Nov. 20.

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    RHODE ISLAND

    Rhode Islanders who lost their jobs or had their wages significantly reduced during the pandemic will be able to qualify for $1.83 million in federal rental assistance designated to the state, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed announced Friday.

    Reed said the aid comes via the federal Housing Choice Voucher program, which helps low-income low-income seniors, families and people with disabilities find safe and stable rental housing.

    Program participants pay 30% of their income toward rent, and the voucher helps make up the difference, Reed said. The aid comes on top of a $2.5 million Housing Choice Voucher program allocation the state received in August as part of the federal coronavirus aid package.

    Rhode Island's seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks from 500 on Nov. 6 to about 925 on Nov. 20, according to Johns Hopkins University.

    The state's seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate has also risen over the past two weeks from 3.75% on Nov. 6 to 6.43% on Nov. 20.

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    NEW HAMPSHIRE

    State health officials on Friday reported an additional death from COVID-19 and more than 500 additional cases.

    The state Department of Health and Human Services said there are currently more than 4,000 active cases of the virus in the state, with more than 100 of them in the hospital.

    There have been more than 500 deaths and about 16,800 cases of the virus in the state since the pandemic started.

    New Hampshire's seven-day rolling average of daily new cases has risen over the past two weeks from 161 on Nov. 6 to 401 on Nov. 20, according to Johns Hopkins University.

    The state's seven-day rolling average of the positivity rate has also risen over the past two weeks, from 2.74% on Nov. 6 to 5.06% on Nov. 20.

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