With Worcester ‘high-risk,’ school sports on hold

WORCESTER, Mass. — The Commonwealth’s second-largest city is considered high-risk which is leading to a shakeup in testing, state resources, and school sports.

In the Massachusetts Department of Public Health town-by-town case rate map, it was reported that Worcester’s 14-day average daily case rate had risen to 9.5 (per 100,000). The state’s daily rate is 4.6.

“All of us are a little fatigued with the protocols,” said Edward Augustus, City Manager. “We can’t let our guard down because this virus can come back quickly if we do that.”

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When asked what he attributes the elevated cases this past week, Augustus said it’s likely a combination of college students returning, people not following mask-wearing and social distancing guidelines, and family gatherings from Labor Day weekend.

With the “high-risk” designation, Augustus said that means additional testing resources focused on low-income areas, and offering flu shots at the same time as COVID-19 tests.

Thursday, a new testing site was erected at Community Healthlink, 72 Jaques Avenue.

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Fall sports for students at Worcester Public Schools have been postponed. This comes just one day before practices were scheduled to begin.

According to the Worcester Public Schools Superintendent, this will impact golf, boys and girls cross country, field hockey, and boys and girls soccer.

This postponement affects approximately 300 - 400 students.

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"I value what our kids learn from sports so I would like to be able to offer it as long as it’s going to be safe. "We want to do what’s safe for everybody, said Maureen Binienda, Worcester Public Schools Superintendent.

According to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, cities in the state’s high-risk or red category may not play school sports.

On Friday, city leaders in Worcester said they will meet with members of the state’s COVID-19 command center to clarify which state resources would be available for Worcester following its high-risk designation.

Among the possibilities, public awareness campaigns, most robust contact tracing, and enforcement support.

Cox Media Group