Back on May 6, Taunton had seen 690 total confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 20 deaths.
Now, seven months later and weeks into a surge, the total cases stand at 2,490 as of Dec. 17 and the deaths at 73, as of Dec. 15, according to the Taunton Board of Health.
Just in the past month-and-a-half alone, Taunton’s total cases for the entire course of the pandemic nearly doubled, going from 1,361 on Nov. 5 to 2,490 on Dec.17.
That’s 1,129 cases in November and the first half of December.
But Taunton is far from alone in experiencing a late fall surge.
Dighton’s total cases much more than doubled in that same period, from 111 on Nov. 5 to 285 on Dec. 17. The Dighton Board of Health could not be reached regarding how many town residents have died of COVID over the course of the pandemic.
No, that s not an animatron. It s the real Santa sitting in the upstairs window on the Taunton Green. And he is accepting visitors.
“We didn’t want to take away all the Christmas magic,” said Renée Menard, recreation programs supervisor at the Taunton parks department.
After all, Taunton is the Christmas City.
In a normal year – which is decidedly not 2020 – Santa holds court in a cozy little house on the Taunton Green. Families stop by to visit and get a free photo of their children sitting on Santa’s lap, all courtesy of the parks department.
But that little house, transformed with a bit of Christmas magic from an ordinary shed, is definitely not big enough for social distancing – what with Kris Kringle and a couple of Santa’s helpers, parents, children and even a few young-at-heart grandparents piling in to share in the holiday cheer.