GOV ORDERS FORCED SOCIAL ISOLATION
Bans eating at restaurants, slashes gatherings to just 25
Bay State residents are banned from eating out under a sweeping set of restrictions announced by Gov. Charlie Baker on Sunday as state and local authorities escalate their response to the coronavirus pandemic.
“I realize these measures are unprecedented, but we’re asking our residents to take a deep breath and understand the rationale behind this guidance,” Baker said in announcing a series of sweeping restrictions from the State House.
Baker ordered a “dramatic” reduction in the maximum gathering size from the previous limit of 250 to 25 in an effort to break up crowds seen at some restaurants and bars this weekend, he said.
He further banned the onsite consumption of food in restaurants starting Tuesday and running through April 6. Takeout and delivery services will still be allowed, he said.
Regular operations at grocery and retail stores are exempt from the new regulations, Baker said.
In the series of orders, Baker also banned visitors at nursing homes and longterm care facilities and ordered hospitals to screen and limit visitors and cancel elective surgeries and procedures. He also expanded access to telehealth services
to limit the number of people seeking in-person treatment.
“Our public health officials have made clear that COVID-19 will feel like the flu for the vast majority of the people who get it, but it’s highly contagious. By breaking up large gatherings and encouraging social distancing, we can prevent the spread,” Baker said.
Baker’s announcement came just hours after Boston Mayor Martin Walsh declared a public health emergency in the city, a move that will give the administration broad powers and open access to state and federal resources, Walsh said.
“I have to send a strong message to anyone who is thinking about going out and being in big crowds,” Walsh told a crowd of reporters outside city hall. “This isn’t about you. This is about your fellow Bostonians. It’s about your grandmother and grandparents. It’s about your neighbors who are sick. It’s about children and adults that have asthma.”
Walsh recognized the added restrictions on local businesses combined with steps already being taken by private businesses and universities likely add up to a “devastating” impact on the local economy.
He said help in the form of stimulus packages on the state and federal levels would likely provide some relief to businesses in the coming days as they work through the branches of government. Baker said unemployment would be available to workers affected by coronavirus cancellations and closures.
More than a dozen bars and restaurants in South Boston had a dry-run of the new restrictions to come later this week when they closed Sunday — the day the neighborhood was supposed to host its annual St. Patrick’s Day parade. The establishments struck an agreement with city officials as part of the coronavirus pandemic response in an effort to disperse crowds.
Sen. Nick Collins in a statement on Sunday thanked the Walsh administration and license holders “for working with us and taking these sound proactive measures to protect the public’s health.”
‘I have to send a strong message to anyone who is thinking about ... being in big crowds. This isn’t about you. This is about your fellow Bostonians.’
MAYOR MARTIN WALSH