Canton now in the ‘green’ under new state metrics

Update: With the release of the latest DPH report on November 11, Canton has moved to the “green” category, indicating lower risk for COVID-19. The town’s average daily incidence rate fell from 10.8 to 7.1 and its positive test rate fell from 1.67 percent to 1.15 percent.

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The town of Canton has been shifted back to the “yellow” COVID risk status based on a revised formula issued by the Baker-Polito Administration last week.

The updated metrics build on the state’s efforts to refine data that is reported publicly to track the impact of the coronavirus while also offering school districts more data to make informed decisions regarding in-person learning. Recent studies have shown that there is low transmission in schools, even in communities where there are high rates of COVID.

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The new formula for determining a community’s color-coded risk level takes into account population size and also incorporates the COVID test positivity rate.

The Massachusetts COVID-19 Command Center has also been reviewing metrics used by other states as well as what is available in the academic and national data sets. This updated metric also will better account for communities that conduct a significant amount of testing.

This metric will continue to be used to determine whether a community is in Step 1 of Phase 3 or Step 2. Communities currently in Step 1 of Phase 3 will need to have three weeks of data where the community is designated yellow, green or grey in order to move to Step 2 of Phase 3.

Under the new methodology, communities the size of Canton (population of 10K-50K) would be placed in the red category only if they have an average daily incidence rate of 10 or more per 100,000 people AND have a positivity rate of 5 percent or greater. As a result, the town of Canton, which had previously been in the red category for three consecutive weeks, was moved to the yellow category as of November 4 due to its 1.67 percent positivity rate.

More than 100 other communities also saw a shift from the red to the yellow category as a result of the updated metrics. Currently, there are just 16 Massachusetts cities and towns designated as highest risk (red): Brockton, Chelsea, Everett, Fall River, Fitchburg, Lawrence, Lowell, Lynn, Methuen, New Bedford, Norfolk, Revere, Seekonk, Somerset, Springfield and Westport. Ninety-one communities are now designated as yellow with 79 communities designated as green and 165 designated as grey (lowest risk).

DESE issues updated school guidance

In coordination with this data metric update, the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) has issued updated guidance to prioritize in-person learning statewide and support municipalities.

Scientific evidence and COVID-19 transmission data supports that with strong health and safety protocols in place, schools are able to operate safely and successfully with in-person learning. This updated guidance was developed in conjunction with medical professionals and public health experts.

Under this guidance, districts and schools in communities designated gray, green or yellow are expected to have students learning fully in-person when possible.

The guidance states that schools in red communities should implement hybrid models while maximizing in-person learning for high-needs students.

In communities with the highest numbers of COVID-19 cases, DESE and DPH will work with local school officials to develop and implement risk reduction strategies.

Fully remote instructional models should be implemented only as a last resort, and classrooms should reopen after appropriate mitigation strategies have been implemented.

This update replaces previous guidance issued on August 11, and structured learning time requirements for students and related regulatory and statutory standards remain in effect for all districts.

Read the full DESE guidance at doe.mass.edu/covid19/on-desktop/interpreting-dph-metrics.html.

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Posted by Canton Citizen on Nov 13 2020. Filed under News, Schools. Both comments and pings are currently closed.