Communities "In The Red" Drop For 4th Week Straight

Also: Local leaders decry investors who put affordable housing at risk; new tool makes you think again before sending mean tweet ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Donate [WBUR]]( [View in Browser](  [WBUR]( May 7, 2021 Good Morning Boston, 🌞 Mostly sunny, with a high near 58. It's strange how the state's weekly COVID report, which used to fill me with dread and anxiety, is now giving me a little hope each week as numbers stay trending in the right direction. Here's the rundown: - The number of communities considered high-risk for spreading COVID-19 is down for the fourth week in a row. There are 13 cities and towns considered "in the red," cut in half from last week's 26. What seems to be helping curb these cases is Massachusetts' growing population of vaccinated people. More than 39% of residents are fully vaccinated, and 56% have at least one shot. - The latest state COVID data also shows that there are a little more than 20,000 active infections across the state. That's the lowest total in more than six months. The seven-day positive test rate is 1.37%. - The number of COVID cases reported in schools is also down again this week, dropping 17% from the week prior. Most of the cases, about 90%, are among students, with the most student cases coming from Brockton. - Somerville has taken a slower approach to reopening than most of the state, but as of today, movie theaters and convention halls can begin to reopen. - Speaking of reopening, a reminder that[the next phase of the state's reopening plan]( starts Monday. It means amusement parks can reopen at 50% capacity, road races are back, youth and adult amateur sports tournaments can resume, large venues like stadiums can expand capacity to 25% and indoor singing – with strict distancing requirements – can return to places like restaurants. - Another sign that nature is healing: The Swan Boats are back in the water and ready for passengers at Boston's Public Garden. The first day of business is tomorrow at 10 a.m. You can see some beautiful shots of the boats being brought out of storage and set up [on our Instagram here.]( - News from our neighbor: All state-mandated restrictions on businesses and public activities have been lifted in New Hampshire. Gov. Chris Sununu said he doesn't think future mandates will be necessary, but encourages everyone to keep up with the basics of hand-washing, distancing and getting vaccinated ASAP. P.S.– Are you fully vaccinated? Congrats! The next big question will be: do you need a booster shot? As of now, it's unclear if and when people will need an additional jab. But NPR's All Things Considered wants to know what questions you have about getting a booster shot to hopefully get some answers for you in advance. You can [ask away here.]( — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown [1.](url)[Local Officials And Congressional Leaders Decry Investors Who Put Affordable Housing At Risk]( Mike Kennealy, the state's Housing and Economic Development secretary, reacted to WBUR's report, saying, "We're taking a look at the issue," and what's happening at TDC "will inform how we make other affordable housing awards going forward, to try to build in some more safeguards." [Read more.]( - The Full Report: [Investors Mine For Profits In Affordable Housing, Leaving Thousands Of Tenants At Risk](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    2. [As Biden Shifts On Immigration, Some Advocates See Him Giving Up Without A Fight]( The president rolled out a plan to overhaul the immigration system on his first day in office. Last week he shifted to talk about a narrower approach. Some advocates feel abandoned. [Read more.]( 3. [Family And Activists Want Answers About Mikayla Miller's Death In Hopkinton]( Hundreds of people attended a vigil in Hopkinton on Thursday afternoon for a 16-year-old girl found dead in a wooded area behind her home. [Read more.]( 4. [A Remote Work Revolution Is Underway — But Not For Everyone]( This divide — between those who have to show up to work, and those who can log in to Zoom — didn't used to be so stark. Before the pandemic only 3% of workers logged in from home full-time. But as of last summer, one study found fully 42% of the U.S. labor force was working from home. [Read more.]( 5. [Study Predicts 'Rapid And Unstoppable' Antarctic Ice Melt If Paris Targets Missed]( The "rapid and unstoppable" melting could cause global sea levels to rise dramatically, further threatening coastal cities like Boston. [Read more.]( Support the news Anything Else? - Meet Elizabeth Bangs Bryant, a [Victorian-era spider-woman]( being celebrated at Harvard. - Want to send a mean tweet? Twitter's [new feature]( wants you to think again. - My mother was more than either of us knew, writes Janna Malamud Smith [in this commentary](. It took me a long time to understand that many of my most treasured ways of being come from my mother. [WBUR] Your Daily Must Listen [On Point | How To Return To Normalcy Without Herd Immunity]( [Listen]( COVID-19 RESOURCES [Here's What You Can Do Under The State's New COVID Rules, And When]( CHARTS, MAP: Mass. Vaccine Tracking And COVID Case Counts. [Read more.]( What To Know About Coronavirus Vaccine Distribution In Mass. [Read more.]( You're Vaccinated. Congrats! Now What Can You Do Safely? [Read more.]( 📬 Stay updated on vaccination news, variants and Boston's road to recovery. [Sign up for our weekly COVID-19 newsletter.]( What We're Reading - The Flavors of My Grief: A Food Writer’s Journey Through Recurrent Miscarriage ([Vogue]( - National Geographic faced up to its racist past. Did it actually get better? ([Vox]( - Sketchpad: “Fending” and Other Terms for Fridge-Foraging Dinners ([The New Yorker]( Tell Me Something Good [3 Simple, Healthy And Celebratory Recipes For Mother's Day 2021]( Here & Now resident chef Kathy Gunst is a huge believer in bringing children into the kitchen and helping them learn to cook. These three recipes can all be made with the assistance of even young children. Before you go: [These little bandits]( are into auto theft now. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( [WBUR]( [95289b97-66e8-43d4-a174-3bc3520a79a9.png]( [Instagram](  [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Want to change how you receive these emails? [Stop getting this newsletter by updating your preferences.]( I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. [Unsubscribe from all editorial newsletters.]( Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? 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