Canton Drops Status As Coronavirus Red Zone

CANTON, MA — Canton is no longer at high-risk of COVID-19 transmission due to a decrease in positive cases in the town over the last two weeks, according to Thursday's statistics from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

The town had been labeled as a coronavirus "red zone" since Dec. 31, meaning that it was at the highest risk of transmission and reported at least 10 average daily cases per 10,000 residents and a 5% positivity rate for nearly two months.

As of Thursday, there have been 1,470 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Canton, with 132 reported in the last two weeks.

Canton currently has an average daily incidence rate of 40.7 and a positivity rate of 4.48%, a significant decrease from last week's average daily incidence rate of 57.3 and 5.2% positivity rate.

Canton's improved COVID-19 statistics come during a statewide decrease in high-risk communities. The state health department reported Thursday that there are currently 110 COVID-19 "red zones" in Massachusetts, down 153 from last week.