Salem Asks Halloween Visitors To Wait Until 2021 | PM Patch

SALEM, MA — It's Tuesday, Oct. 6. Here's what Patch has been covering on the North Shore and across Massachusetts today.

After a weekend of crowds, road closures and restaurants and attractions at capacity early in the day, Salem officials are asking those who have not already booked reservations and purchased tickets in the city this Halloween season to consider waiting until 2021 due to the coronavirus health crisis.

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said Tuesday: "If you have not secured lodging or booked tickets in advance for your stay, you may want to consider saving your visit till 2021, when we hope to be recovered from this pandemic and able to enjoy our full array of unique activities and events."

Driscoll said that while the city wants to support businesses during what is typically their busiest and most profitable month of the year, it has to be safety first this year amid the pandemic.

Read the full story here.

Also on the North Shore today

168 Essex Inmates, Staff Test Positive For Coronavirus: Sheriff

Testing of all inmates, employees and vendors at the Essex County Jail in Middleton returned 168 positive cases out of nearly 1,400 tests conducted this weekend as the prison deals with its biggest coronavirus outbreak since the health crisis began in April.

Essex County Sheriff Kevin Coppinger said 137 inmates and 21 employees returned with positive tests with Coppinger saying 70 percent of inmates were showing no symptoms.

North Shore Neighbors Split On Voting By Mail, In-Person

With Secretary of State William Galvin saying more than 1.6 million registered voters have already requested mail-in ballots for the Nov. 3 general election, North Shore residents are split on whether to place their votes via mail or head to the polls on Election Day.

Swampscott Students Celebrated At Stonehill Graduation

Christina King and Brian Murphy graduated in the class of 2020 in May and were honored along with their classmates in the August ceremony.

Across Massachusetts

Halloween Is Still On In MA, But Baker Has A Thing Or Two To Say

Halloween is still on in Massachusetts, but to what extent is anyone's guess.

Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday afternoon local communities will have final say over Halloween celebrations and trick-or-treating, but he did advise caution as the coronavirus numbers continue to tick upward across the state.

First His Head, Now His Home: Columbus Statue Loses North End Spot

The statue of Christopher Columbus that was beheaded earlier this year in the North End will not be returned to its original location. It will now be housed in a new development being built by the Knights of Columbus.

The statue was taken down to be fixed after it was vandalized in June.

Could Be Last Stop For Many MBTA Lines, Routes

MBTA officials proposed deep service cuts that would stretch across the transit agency's entire system, impacting all modes of public transportation amid dwindling ridership and a widening budget gap.