In Push To Get Kids In Class, MA Changes Coronavirus Map

MASSACHUSETTS — State officials have changed how they measure the risk level of coronavirus spread in communities, tying virus metrics to population and raising the bar for what triggers risk elevation to persuade cities and towns to get students back in the classroom.

The changes dramatically reduced the number of high-risk communities. Many cities and towns have switched from in-person to remote learning when they've been deemed high risk — guidance Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday is outdated.

"We continue to see too may communities with children learning in remote only models," Baker said.

Schools are now expected to prioritize in-person learning unless there is evidence of in-school virus transmission.

The changes mean there are only 16 high-risk communities — down from 121 last week. There are 79 green, 91 yellow and 165 gray (lowest-risk) communities.

The state has published a weekly COVID-19 map since August, when there were just a handful of red, or high-risk, communities. Coronavirus numbers have spiked across the state; Baker told local officials Thursday there has been a "second surge" of the virus.

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Under the new metrics, communities with fewer than 10,000 people will be assessed based on cases they report over a 14-day period. There will also be elevated benchmarks for higher risk levels for communities with between 10,000-50,000 people and more than 50,000 people.

Here's a further breakdown of how the state will assess communities:

Fewer than 10,000 people:

• Gray — Fewer than or equal to 10 cases
• Green — Fewer than or equal to 15 cases
• Yellow — Fewer than or equal to 25 cases
• Red — More than 25 cases

Between 10,000 and 50,000 people:

• Gray — Fewer than or equal to 10 cases
• Green — Fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 people and more than 10 cases
• Yellow — At least 10 cases per 100,000 people or a positive test rate of at least 5 percent
• Red — At least 10 cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate of at least 5 percent

More than 50,000 people:

• Gray — Fewer than or equal to 15 cases
• Green — Fewer than 10 cases per 100,000 people and more than 15 total cases
• Yellow — At least 10 cases per 100,000 people or a positive test rate of at least 4 percent
• Red — At least 10 cases per 100,000 people and a positive test rate of at least 4 percent