Westford No Longer High Risk After Positive Test Rate Falls

WESTFORD, MA — Westford is no longer considered a high-risk community, according to the latest state town-by-town coronavirus report Thursday.

The town was designated moderate risk, or yellow, in the latest Department of Public Health report, after almost two months in the red category.

The town's positive test rate over the last two weeks was 4.19 percent, just under the 5 percent threshold and down from 5.50 percent last week.

The town had 84 cases in that period, down from 124 last week. Those cases bring Westford to 972 cases since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the state report.

>>MA Town-By-Town Coronavirus Stats: High-Risk List Falls Sharply

Westford was one of dozens of municipalities that transitioned out of the high-risk category Thursday into the moderate-risk category, as more than three-quarters of communities reported test rates declining.

This coincided with the state expanding vaccine eligibility to all people older than 75 Monday. That welcome news was met with frustration when people attempted to take advantage of that, however. Gov. Charlie Baker said this week he was "unhappy" with the rollout, as accessibility was a challenge for many eligible residents.

The news also comes as Baker loosened restrictions on businesses effective Monday following the dramatic decline in virus cases recently. Many businesses will be allowed to operate at 40 percent capacity, up from 25 percent.

There were 2,602 new confirmed cases and 74 deaths statewide Thursday. Friday there were 2,982 new confirmed cases and 74 deaths.

Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.