Well there is certainly no doubt that the number of COVID-19 cases are ramping up just in time for late fall and the holiday season. It's important to take this threat seriously and prevent complacency from creeping in. It's good to have this reminder because it can be difficult to keep good, safe habits up when returning to somehwhat normal conditions.

Mass Live is reporting that Seventy-seven Massachusetts cities and towns are now considered high risk for coronavirus transmission, according to the state’s COVID risk assessment map released Thursday.

The latest map, which upgrades 14 communities to the red category of risk, is based on new daily cases reported between Oct. 4 and Oct. 17, according to the Department of Public Health.

The communities in the high risk category have seen greater than 8 new cases each day per 100,000 residents over a 14-day period.

Those communities include: Abington, Acushnet, Ashland, Attleboro, Avon, Berkley, Boston, Boxford, Brockton, Buckland, Canton, Chelmsford, Chelsea, Chicopee, Clinton, East Longmeadow, Everett, Fairhaven, Fall River, Framingham, Gloucester, Hanover, Hanson, Haverhill, Hingham, Holliston, Holyoke, Hudson, Kingston, Lawrence, Leicester, Lowell, Lynn, Lynnfield, Malden, Marlborough, Marshfield, Mattapoisett, Methuen, Middleborough, Middleton, Milford, Millville, Milton, Monson, New Bedford, North Andover, Norwood, Oxford, Pembroke, Plymouth, Randolph, Raynham, Revere, Rochester, Rockland, Saugus, Scituate, Seekonk, Shrewsbury, Somerset, Somerville, Springfield, Swampscott, Tyngsborough, Wakefield, Waltham, Webster, West Bridgewater, West Newbury, Westfield, Westport, Weymouth, Winthrop, Woburn, Worcester and Wrentham.

Thank goodness that none of the cities and towns are located in Berkshire County but this is useful information especially if you are traveling to or through any of these communitites. If you are, you certainly want to proceed with caution. This also goes to show that our numbers here in the Berkshires continue to remain on the low end which in part is due to our diligent habits. Let's keep up the good work.

You can read the complete story by going to Mass Live's official website.

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