BOSTON — Across Massachusetts, most communities are in great shape when it comes to COVID-19 statistics, according to Gov. Charlie Baker.
Some of the recent success story communities include Salem, Springfield and Saugus, all of which were highlighted by the governor during a news conference on Wednesday.
“You can’t walk down a street in the main core of Salem downtown without bumping into an ambassador who will be perfectly happy to provide you with a mask if you don’t have one,” Gov. Baker said.
The governor said he and his wife, Lauren, went out in Salem last weekend and saw most people wearing masks. He noted the aggressive messaging campaign the city has been using.
Boston 25 News spoke with Mayor Kim Driscoll shortly after the governor’s news conference praising her along with Saugus and Springfield for dropping COVID-19 rates.
Related: Positive test rate for COVID-19 and 3-day average of new deaths both hit monthly lows Wednesday
“We’re not spiking any footballs or anything like that, we’re going to try to stay on top of it,” Driscoll said.
New town-by-town data released Wednesday by the state’s Department of Public Health shows Salem’s average daily incidence rate over the past two weeks is 5.2 (per 100,000). In Saugus, that number is 7.8. On August 19, those numbers were 10.5 and 9.0, respectively.
Driscoll attributes the improved numbers to creating a culture of mask-wearing in the city.
Saugus town manager Scott Crabtree said some of it is state help, but local enforcement and public awareness efforts are also having an impact.
“This is something that is fluid and will change,” Crabtree said.
>>>MORE: State suspends COVID-19 testing at Boston-based lab after hundreds of false positives
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