The city of Springfield reported a large increase in novel coronavirus cases yesterday.
An additional one-hundred-four cases were reported, the highest one-day total since the virus pandemic began, bringing the total close to one-thousand.
Mayor Domenic Sarno and Springfield Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris issued a new public health advisory on the heels of what was called a major spike in cases, asking stores that provide essential services to require customers to cover their face.
Springfield's cases account for a third of the total western Mass cases.
Overall Massachusetts saw more than 21 hundred fatal cases of the coronavirus.
In Connecticut there are more than 15 hundred fatal cases.