Massachusetts health officials reported 12 more deaths from COVID-19 in the Commonwealth, while another 320 have tested for positive for the virus - the same number of new cases as Friday.
The state has now logged 112,173 total cases reported, and 8,500 have died, according to the Mass. Department of Public Health.
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The percentage of coronavirus tests coming back positive, which on average had risen as high as 2.2% last week, fell to 1.9% yesterday and again to 1.8% on Saturday. The three-day average number of patients in the hospital for COVID-19 ticked down to 393.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced a return to some stricter reopening measures on Friday, shrinking limits on outdoors gatherings from 100 to 50 as the number of COVID-19 cases has risen in recent weeks. He also tightened restaurant guidances to limit on-site alcohol service to establishments that have food prepared on-site.
"We have to work hard, always, harder in some respects than ever, to contain COVID-19 and keep our economy open for business," Baker said on Friday. "We also want to keep this virus out of our communities as we head into the fall so we can give our kids a chance to get back to school."
School districts in the state continued this past week to release different plans for reopening this fall. More comprehensive plans are due Aug. 10.
