BOSTON (WHDH) - COVID-19 data continues to “move in the right direction” as more businesses begin to resume operations in Phase 2 of the state’s four-phase reopening plan but Mayor Martin J. Walsh said Wednesday that Boston needs to focus on two key areas to prevent another spike in coronavirus cases.
“Our case numbers and testing data continues to move in the right direction,” Walsh said during a press conference at City Hall.
Overall, Boston’s positive coronavirus test rate has dropped by 21.4 percent since the start of the outbreak, according to Walsh. During the peak of the pandemic, the positive test rate was hovering in the mid-30s.
“We’ve been going steadily down. The week ending June 6th was a 5.3 percent decrease, so those weeks are very low and they’re bringing down the overall rate,” Walsh said. “The numbers are going down but we have two things that we still have to do.”
Boston must first keep taking precautions to slow the spread of coronavirus because reopening the economy doesn’t mean the disease has magically disappeared, according to Walsh.
The precautions include maintaining distance from other people, wearing face coverings, practicing good hygiene, and sanitizing. He also urged businesses that are uncomfortable with reopening to allow workers back slowly.
Walsh said the second step is making testing available on a “broad and equitable basis.”
RELATED: Beheaded Columbus statue in Boston will be removed, placed in storage, Walsh says
He noted that testing has been made available at community health centers across Boston and that the second round of universal testing on the city’s homeless population is now underway. Tests have also been allocated for food delivery workers, cleaning workers, and janitorial services.
“In Phase 2, we’re going to have more people out and about, so we’ll continue to make testing available more widely and equitably,” Walsh said. “This is how we’re going to keep people safe, it’s how we’re going to get the data that we need to make the decisions as far as reopening and how we proceed forward. It’s how we’re going to contain potential spikes.”
A new pop-up coronavirus testing site is opening in Roxbury on Wednesday and Walsh urged demonstrators who have been involved in citywide protests to get tested.
“As residents take a stand and raise their voices against racism and injustice, we want to provide every tool we can to keep them and their loved ones healthy when returning home,” Walsh said.
Click here for more coronavirus coverage.
(Copyright (c) 2025 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)