Governor Charlie Baker announced the state would be lowering of capacity and gathering limits due to concerns about holiday-related coronavirus surge.
On Tuesday, December 22, Mass Governor Charlie Baker announced further restrictions on businesses and private gatherings with the intent of reducing the number of holiday-linked COVID-19 cases. While the state won’t be imposing any business shutdowns for the moment it will be lowering capacity and gathering limits statewide.
“The intent of these restrictions will be to pause activity and reduce mobility, so we can reduce the spread of the virus, without closing our schools or our businesses,” explained Governor Baker during a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.
#COVID19MA infections + hospitalizations continue to rise. We are taking new measures to slow the spread effective Saturday:
➡️ Most industries will be subject to a 25% capacity limit
➡️ Lower gathering limits (10 inside, 25 outside)
🔗 Read a summary: https://t.co/TNMiWOUJsi pic.twitter.com/cYf6U7mfUA
— Charlie Baker (@MAGovArchive) December 22, 2020
Starting next weekend capacity limits will be reduced from the current 40% to 25% across industries including offices and restaurants, meanwhile, statewide gathering limits will be reduced to 25 outside and 10 inside both for private and public spaces. Staff will not count towards the occupancy count for restaurants, places of worship, close contact personal services and retail businesses, according to officials.
Governor Baker explained the administration was taking new measures to slow the spread of the virus and send a message ahead of the holidays, which officials believe could worsen the already high number of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in the region.
“We would like to see people spend the next couple of weeks, between Christmas to the week after New Year’s, with as regularly as they possibly can, just with those they live with,” the governor added.
The new measures add to the state’s current nighttime stay-at-home advisory and mask mandate and will take effect on Saturday, December 26. They are expected to remain in place for at least two weeks.
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