December 10, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer
For the fourth consecutive week, Hingham remains in the COVID-19 "yellow" zone, according to this week's Massachusetts Department of Public Health statistics, despite an increase of 71 cases since the Dec. 3 report.
The "yellow" category is between the high-risk "red" zone and the lower-risk "green" category.
The total number of COVID-19 cases in Hingham since Jan. 1 is now 622, with 105 new cases reported in the last 14 days.
On Dec. 3, the MDPH reported 47 new cases since the previous week -- with 82 in the last 14 days -- for a total of 551 cases since the first of the year.
The latest numbers come in the wake of the opening today of the new Mpathy, LLC, COVID-19 testing site in Hingham at 308 Cushing St. -- at the site of the former Hingham Municipal Lighting Plant field personnel office -- following negotiation of a licensing agreement with the Town of Hingham last week.
As of noon yesterday, there were already more than 100 scheduled appointments for opening day.
The testing site -- which has plenty of room for social distancing and is well-ventilated -- offers PCR swab testing. The hours are Monday through Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Appointments may be made online at mpathy.org/schedule.
Priority access will be given to Hingham residents and town employees from 7 to 10 a.m. each testing day. After 10 a.m., appointments will be available to the general public. Walk-ins are welcome but will generally result in a longer wait time than for those with scheduled appointments.
"We are in the surge and encourage any resident of Hingham or any neighboring communities to use our testing site," Executive Health Officer Susan Sarni told the Hingham Anchor.
The testing site opened just days after Gov. Charlie Baker announced that all Massachusetts communities will return to Phase 3, Step 1 of the state's reopening plan beginning Sunday due to an increase in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
A move back to Phase 3 Step 1 will decrease the number of restaurant patrons to a maximum of six per table and require them to wear masks at all times unless eating or drinking, even when seated at a table; reduce the maximum capacity of outdoor public gatherings from 100 to 50; and other restrictions.
Visit https://www.hingham-ma.gov/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=940 for Updated COVID-19 Isolation and Quarantine Guidance posted today.