Friday, August 21, 2020 by Carol Britton Meyer
Hingham has moved from the "white" to the higher-risk "green" zone due to a Massachusetts Department of Public Health report of five COVID-19 cases in town during the last 14 days, ending August 19. The COVID-19 total case count to date for Hingham since January 2020 is 294.
Being in the "white" category means that a community had fewer than five total new COVID-19 cases over the most recent 14-day period while "green" is a low-risk zone.
Under the state's new four-color system of categorizing the average daily test rate in the state's 351 communities over a two-week period, the other categories are: red, highest risk; and yellow, moderate risk.
As of Wednesday, Aug. 12, there had been a slight downtick in the number of COVID-19 cases, "which is good news," Town Administrator Tom Mayo said at the time. "That said, it doesn't take much to move into another category," which is what happened in Hingham this week.
Under Gov. Charlie's most recent COVID-19 order, a cross-agency COVID Enforcement and Intervention Team will be responsible for ramping up enforcement statewide -- in cooperation with local intervention -- in higher-risk communities.
The order also calls for targeted interventions and inspections by a range of agencies, with increased enforcement -- including potential fines -- to ensure businesses and residents are aware of and following COVID-19 orders.
State and Hingham officials continue to emphasize the importance of wearing face masks and social distancing, along with abiding by other COVID-19 guidelines.
Visit https://www.hingham-ma.gov/860/COVID-19-Updates for COVID-19 information and updates.