BOSTON (WHDH) - Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday announced the COVID-19 test results for 17,000 people who recently took place in George Floyd protests in Massachusetts before urging residents to continue to take preventive health measures to avoid a spike in cases that many other states are currently seeing because the coronavirus will not take a “summer vacation.”
“Last week, as many people know, the Commonwealth offered COVID-19 testing for people who attended recent large gatherings like the demonstrations and protests to honor George Floyd,” Baker said during a news conference at the Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center and Wildlife Sanctuary. “This morning we got the final results of that. Out of 17,617 tests that were conducted statewide, 2.5 percent came back positive for COVID-19.”
Baker said that the positive rate is “reasonably consistent” with the statewide numbers that have been reported in recent days. Over the course of the last week, he said the average positive test rate in Massachusetts has dropped to 1.9 percent, marking a 93 percent decline since April 15.
“We’re obviously pleased to see that the percentage of positive tests was quite low, considering the frequency and the size of these protests and demonstrations,” Baker said. “The large majority of these folks were wearing masks or face coverings…In many cases, they were moving, which I think made a big difference and of course, they all took place outside.”
Baker also stressed that the reason Massachusetts has found success during its phased reopening process is due to residents who are wearing face coverings, practicing social distancing, maintaining proper hygiene, and staying home when sick.
“This stuff works at preventing the spread and I think it’s critical that people don’t forget that,” Baker said.
As of Monday, there were only 937 people hospitalized with COVID-19, 180 of whom were in the intensive care unit.
“That’s a very significant drop since the middle of April,” Baker said.
More than 6,700 new tests were administered on Monday, with just 149 new confirmed positive results.
Baker said he is encouraged with the direction the state continues to move in but he warned all residents to be mindful of the fact that “COVID-19 will not take a summer vacation.”
Nearly half of the states in America are reporting a rise in new cases and some continue to break records in their daily reported cases — statistics that Baker expressed concern with.
“It’s a clear indication about how important it is for people to continue to be vigilant and we want to avoid anything like that happening here in Massachusetts,” Baker said.
The second part of Phase 2 of the state’s reopening plan launched on Monday with the return of indoor dining, among other things. In order for Phase 3 to kick off on time, Baker said key coronavirus data needs to continue to trend positively.
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