Marlborough Back On State's High-Risk List For Coronavirus

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough has rejoined the state's list of high-risk communities for coronavirus after crossing thresholds for daily new cases and positive test results.

As of Thursday, Marlborough was adding more than 55 new cases per day per 100,000 residents, and the citywide positive test rate hit 6.09 percent. For a city Marlborough's size, new daily tests have to be above 10 per 100,000 and the positive test rate above 5 percent to join the high-risk list.

READ: Coronavirus Testing Sites Will Shrink In Marlborough, Framingham

As of Wednesday, Marlborough had 304 active coronavirus cases, according to the Board of Health. Seventy-six city residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, including four since the beginning of December.

Marlborough was on the high-risk list earlier this fall. But at the beginning of November, the state changed how it measures coronavirus risk in a given community. Up until Thursday, Marlborough was rated as a moderate-risk community.

There are now 158 communities across the state on the high-risk list, including nearby Hudson, Framingham, Southborough and Northborough.

The wider spread of coronavirus across Massachusetts means new restrictions ahead. On Sunday, the state will move back to step one of phase three of the reopening plan, which mainly means a reduction in the number of people who can sit at a table while eating indoors.