Restrictions enacted
Boston and area communities revert as virus cases surge
Boston and area communities will be rolling back their coronavirus reopening plans and forcing businesses to close as case counts spike and hospitals fill up with COVID-19 patients, local leaders said on Monday.
The Greater Boston rollback will go beyond the state’s rollback, which Gov. Charlie Baker announced last week. Every Massachusetts city and town must now be in Phase 3, Step 1, but communities in Greater Boston are now reverting further back to Phase 2, Step 2.
That means new restrictions on businesses in Boston, Somerville, Newton, Arlington, Lynn and Winthrop for at least three weeks, starting on Wednesday.
“Rather than wait until the situation gets worse, we’re going to be proactive here in the city of Boston and other towns here in Massachusetts,” Mayor Martin Walsh said at a Monday press conference.
“We’re going to take action now to reduce in-person activity in our city,” he added. “We’re working to slow the spread of the virus in our city, and prevent our hospitals from getting overwhelmed.”
This rollback means that gyms, fitness centers, bowling alleys, arcades and batting cages will have to close. Also, the rollback will shut down museums, movie theaters, aquariums and indoor event spaces.
Other businesses that must close are sightseeing and organized tours such as Boston Duck Tours, harbor cruises and whale watching.
Walsh cited the rising cases and hospitalizations since Thanksgiving. Boston has seen a steady increase in COVID-19 cases in the last few weeks — with the citywide positive test rate at 7.2% for the first week of December, up from 5.2% during the prior week. The percentage of occupied adult nonsurge ICU beds in Boston hospitals is at 90%, as of Thursday.
Under Phase 2, Step 2, indoor dining can still happen with restricted bar seating. Also, retail stores and personal services — including hair salons and barbershops — can remain open.
Outdoor gym activities can operate with fewer than 25 people, and one-on-one personal training sessions are allowed. Office spaces may remain open at 40% capacity, but employers are strongly encouraged to allow employees to work from home as much as possible, Walsh said.
As businesses struggle amid the pandemic, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone said he will soon submit a proposal for the City Council to use an additional $5 million from the city’s reserves to help support local companies affected by closures.
“We fully appreciate the economic hardship and mental strain caused by efforts to lessen the spread of this deadly disease, but given the surging transmission of this virus we have no choice but to take more restrictive measures,” Curtatone said. “We have 50 people in our city who have died due to coronavirus and the measures we take today are designed to save lives in our community and beyond.”
While not located in
Greater Boston, the city of Brockton is also moving back to Phase 2, Step 2.
“In order to keep our citizens safe, we need to limit spread in high-contact areas,” said Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan, later adding that he’s “pleading with our federal and state elected officials to move swiftly to deliver aid to our restaurants, gyms, small businesses and others impacted by these new restrictions.”