Mass. infections double overnight
15 new people under review
The number of coronavirus infections in Massachusetts more than doubled overnight due to a Biogen conference, health authorities said — but top officials balked at canceling mass events.
Fifteen new presumptive positive cases of coronavirus were reported Sunday, bringing the total number of cases in Massachusetts to 28. All 15 people are isolating at home, DPH said.
One case involves the parent of a student at the Stratton Elementary School in Arlington, prompting officials to close the school on Monday. The parent is among the 15 new cases identified Sunday, but the student is also showing signs of the illness and has since been tested, officials said.
All of the new cases had a direct connection to the Biogen employee conference in late February, held at the Marriott Long Wharf in the Seaport. Twenty-three of the 28 coronavirus cases in Massachusetts are associated with that meeting.
“The risk of COVID-19 to the general public in Massachusetts remains low at this time,” the DPH said in a statement.
Of the 15 new cases announced Sunday, five of the people live in Boston, the Boston Public Health Commission said. That brings the total number of cases in Boston to nine.
“As more people test positive, then concerns will get even higher,” Mayor Martin Walsh told reporters on Sunday — though he and Gov. Charlie Baker have still stopped short of ordering mass events like conventions and the Boston Marathon to be canceled.
Boston has the state’s only officially confirmed case — a UMass Boston student who recently visited China.
“There is currently no evidence of community transmission in Boston,” the city’s public health commission said in a statement. “The risk remains low, but this situation is evolving rapidly and changes day to day.”
As of Sunday, the highly contagious disease has infected more than 400 people and killed 21 in the United States.
Mass events around the world — and some in the U.S. — have been canceled because of the coronavirus. The Tokyo Marathon was restricted to only the elite runners and the Rome marathon has been canceled. The Paris Marathon and Barcelona Marathon have been postponed until October, and the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas, was canceled.
But as of Sunday, the South Boston St. Patrick’s Day Parade was still scheduled for March 15. Boston Marathon organizers for April’s race said they are “carefully monitoring” coronavirus developments.
Walsh Friday pushed back at the idea of canceling the parade and marathon, saying, “We’re not there yet.”
The mayor on Sunday told reporters that he’s watching what’s happening around the country — including in New York where officials declared a state of emergency, and in Washington state where 18 people have died from the coronavirus.
“Our office has been in contact with those folks just to see what we can do to prevent a widespread outbreak of coronavirus here,” Walsh said. “It’s still a very fluid situation. We just tell people it’s about prevention. It’s about washing your hands.”
Walsh urged people who are sick to stay home.
The NBA has told teams, including the Boston Celtics, to be prepared to play in empty stadiums.
“If things like that happen, we’re in a whole different conversation,” Walsh said.
The Harvard men’s hockey team will face RPI this weekend in Troy, N.Y., but spectators will be banned from the arena.
Baker’s press office referred the Herald to the governor’s comments reassuring people Friday when the number of state coronavirus cases was at eight. “Well I would take most of my cues from the city and the CDC and my own public health people,” Baker said.