Two Worcester police officers carried an elderly woman out of a burning building early Saturday morning during a fire that resulted in no severe injuries, officials said.
Worcester County has surpassed 2,000 coronavirus deaths in a somber milestone less than a year after the pandemic first hit the region.
The 2,000th death was recorded in the same week the United States hit its own bleak mark: 500,000 deaths. The city of Worcester surpassed 400 deaths.
Those numbers come as cases continue a sharp fall nationally and across Massachusetts, though less so in Worcester County. New cases were roughly flat in Worcester County in the past week through Thursday, coming as the region stands out from other Massachusetts counties for unusually high number of cases linked to a variant first found in the United Kingdom believed to be both more contagious and possibly more deadly.
A week after the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce sent a letter to City Manager Edward Augustus requesting bar-top dining be allowed once again, the City of Worcester announced on Thursday the ban would be lifted Monday.
The announcement came on the same day that Gov. Charlie Baker announced the state would move forward into Phase 4 of the state’s multi-step reopening plan.
“While we understand the need to continue to be vigilant against the fight in stopping the spread of this virus, we must also remember that these small businesses are on the cusp of shuttering,” wrote Alex Guardiola, chamber director of government affairs and public policy in his Feb. 17 letter to Augustus. “One in four restaurants in the commonwealth have closed their doors for good.”
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