North Andover: No Community Spread From Merrimack College Cases

NORTH ANDOVER, MA — North Andover has not had any community spread from the coronavirus outbreak at Merrimack College, the town said Monday. The town reported 95 active cases, the most since June 7, but 88 of those cases are at the college.

Merrimack College said Sunday that it would be going to remote learning for a week while it conducted extensive testing. The residents of Monican Hall, where most of the cases were found, are in quarantine or isolation.

"Based on contact tracing, there is NO evidence of community spread to the Town of North Andover due to the positive cases at Merrimack College," Town Manager Melissa Rodrigues said in the coronavirus report, Monday.

>>Merrimack College Goes Remote As It Deals With Outbreak

The 88 Merrimack cases brought the town over the 500 case mark, with a cumulative total of 505 coronavirus cases. Forty-one residents have died and 369 have recovered from the virus.

The town will likely be categorized as a red community in the state's town-by-town update, Wednesday, meaning there are more than eight confirmed cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks.

"We are working closely with DPH to make certain that the community has a strong understanding of our numbers," Rodrigues wrote. "It is important to note that community decisions are not based on the map or one cluster alone, and rather, we look at the past two weeks of community data and we examine all the cases and all the data to make community decisions. "

Rodrigues also shared tips on preventing the spread of the virus and information on upcoming flu clinics.

Christopher Huffaker can be reached at 412-265-8353 or chris.huffaker@patch.com.

This article originally appeared on the North Andover Patch