Salem Hopes To Scare Away Visitors With Restrictions: Patch PM

Today is Wednesday, Oct. 21. Here are some of the top stories we're covering.

Salem is shutting down early on Halloween night, with access to downtown severely limited over the next two weekends, as the city attempts to deter potential visitors amid the coronavirus health crisis.

The city is restricting parking over the next two weekends, having outbound commuter rail service from North Station bypass the Salem stop from 7:30 to 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. the next two Saturdays and this Sunday, and closing downtown parking garages to non-residents after 2 p.m. on Fridays and noon on weekends through Halloween.

The decisions announced at a joint news conference with Gov. Charlie Baker and Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll Wednesday afternoon are all designed to keep as many people as possible from coming to Salem during what are traditionally the two busiest weekends of the year.

"I think the message for the most part is: 'Stay away,'" Baker said.

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Other top stories

Boston Suspends All In-Person Learning In Schools

The state's largest school district is suspending in-person learning for all students amid rising coronavirus rates, effective Thursday. Mayor Marty Walsh and Superintendent Brenda Cassellius announced the decision in a Wednesday morning email to Boston Public Schools employees.

Students will remain in remote learning until there are two weeks of falling infection rates, the city said. High-needs students will be able to resume in-person learning when the positive test rate is at or below 5 percent for two straight weeks, and a phased-in return for other students — starting with the youngest — would begin if the positive test rate is at or below 4 percent for two straight weeks.

The city's seven-day average positive test rate is at 5.7 percent, up from 4.5 percent.

Passenger Rail Beyond Worcester: MassDOT Study Reveals Proposals

MassDOT this week released a draft of a long-awaited study on how to bring passenger rail service to the biggest cities in the state west of Worcester — an idea that could have big economic and environmental benefits, according to transportation officials.

The draft East-West Passenger Rail Study looks at ways to extend passenger service between Worcester, Springfield and Pittsfield, with stops in smaller communities like Palmer and Lee along the way.

Today, only Amtrak serves riders between Worcester and the New York border. Those trains run along Amtrak's Lake Shore Limited route to Chicago. That service was reduced to only three trips per week on Oct. 12 due to coronavirus slowdowns.

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