New Record # For Western MA Communities At High COVID Risk

A weekly COVID-19 report by state health officials shows more than 30 western Massachusetts communities at high-risk for spreading the virus as of Thursday.

From a story reported on by WWLP/22 News Springfield, according to the state Department of Public Health, 31 western Massachusetts areas are in what’s considered a ‘red zone,’ meaning the following areas have reported more than 25 COVID-19 cases in the last 14 days:

The data is also based on the state’s new criteria which now takes population size into account when determining an area’s level of COVID-19 spread. This is the highest reported number in local community COVID-19 infections.

Last week, 20 western Massachusetts were listed as ‘red zones.’ The communities that are new in the high-risk category in this week’s report include Adams, Belchertown, Brimfield, Dalton, Easthampton, Hampden, Hatfield, Pittsfield, South Hadley Sunderland, and Ware.

There are currently 13 western Massachusetts communities in the ‘yellow zone,’ meaning those areas are at moderate risk for spreading COVID-19. Those local areas are Amherst, Chester, Deerfield, Greenfield, Hinsdale, Holland, Lanesborough, Lenox, Montague, North Adams, Northampton, Stockbridge, and Wales.

Russell, Sheffield, Whately, and Williamstown are the only western Massachusetts communities in the ‘green zone.’ This means they are at low risk for COVID-19 spread with less than or equal to 15 total cases.

As of January 13, 2021, a total of 180,573 individuals in Massachusetts have completed quarantine and a total of 24,509 are in quarantine.

For more on the story, including data on newly confirmed COVID-19 cases, check out the initial report on WWLP/22 News' website here.