BOSTON (WHDH) - A “concerned” Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Thursday pleaded with residents to take the pandemic seriously because he is fearful that the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in Boston could ultimately “exceed” the peak totals the city saw in the spring and lead to another shutdown.
After seeing newly reported coronavirus cases decline in recent weeks, Boston recorded 825 new cases in the last two days alone, and also saw an uptick in virus-related hospitalizations, Walsh announced during a news conference at City Hall.
“We’re seeing an uptick — a significant uptick to be quite honest — in the last couple of days,” Walsh said. “We’re seeing more patients being admitted to Boston hospitals…Since Friday, we’ve seen an increase of about 70 patients.”
The city’s overall community positivity rate is now nearing four percent, according to Walsh.
“The numbers are just too high… We haven’t seen a two-day increase like that since maybe April,” Walsh said. “The feel I’m getting here is these numbers could exceed what we saw in April and May.”
Walsh urged residents to stop attending household gatherings and to limit unnecessary travel, especially as the holidays approach to help stop the spread of the virus.
“We’re seeing the impact of those gatherings and why we had the highest day in the state since coronavirus started, “Walsh said. “I’d rather be talking about something new about reopening, but when we look at these numbers, that’s not a conversation we’re going to be having this week and potentially any time next week.”
If residents don’t seek out tests, limit gathering sizes, wear masks, and practice social distancing, Walsh warned that another total shutdown could be on the horizon.
“The next step is shutting everything down,” Walsh said. “If these numbers continue to go up…Maybe Tuesday I’m standing here talking about plans for shutting things down. Hopefully Tuesday I’m talking about seeing the numbers go the other way again.”
On Wednesday, state health officials reported more than 4,600 new cases — a record high since the start of the pandemic.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday that a field hospital in Worcester will begin accepting patients on Sunday. He also spoke about plans to build a second makeshift facility in Lowell to help health care workers combat the surge.
If needed, Walsh said that the city has the capability of erecting a field hospital in as few as five days.
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