Changes to Massachusetts’ travel restrictions have been announced.
Massachusetts public health officials on Saturday reported 1,880 new confirmed coronavirus cases and 29 more deaths.
The update puts the total of confirmed cases at 577,902 and the death toll at 16,498, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.
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Generally, Massachusetts' coronavirus metrics have been trending downward in the past several weeks, according to the Department of Public Health's interactive coronavirus dashboard, with the average number of cases, hospitalizations and deaths peaking in the second week of January. The testing rate peaked Jan. 1. The figures reported daily are important for tracking trends with the virus' spread, though a single-day change may not reflect a larger trend, and may reflect incomplete data.
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The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, on average, fell slightly to 1.99% from 2.01%. Friday marked the first time since Feb. 20 that the percentage had been at or above the 2% threshold.
The number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 increased slightly to 588. Of that number, 152 were listed as being in intensive care units and 92 were intubated, according to health officials.
The number of estimated active cases increased to 26,433 Saturday from 25,986 on Friday.
This report comes ahead of the state’s first step of its final phase of reopening that begins Monday. During Phase IV Step 1, indoor and outdoor stadiums, arenas and ballparks will be permitted to open at 12% capacity.
Also on Monday, the Massachusetts Travel Order will be replaced with a Travel Advisory. Under the new advisory, travelers won't have to quarantine upon returning to the Bay State if they were out of state for under 24 hours, received negative COVID test results within 72 hours, are a critical care worker or are fully vaccinated.
