BOSTON (WHDH) - New COVID-19 cases have “leveled off” in Boston but the city still has a “long way to go” before a recovery plan can be safely launched, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said Wednesday.
“Overall, our city’s average of new cases has leveled off a bit. We’re seeing some indications that they are going down, we’re seeing that we’re moving in the right direction,” Walsh said during a news conference at City Hall. “A lot of that is due to the precautions that we’re taking.”
Despite the progress, Walsh said the “curve is slowly bending” in Boston.
“We’re only beginning towards where we need to be and we’re asking people to understand that,” Walsh said. “We still have a long way to go before we can safely launch a recovery plan.”
Walsh noted that his administration is working every day to build a plan with state officials, other cities and towns, and Boston-based industries.
“Our goal is a healthy reopening and an equitable recovery,” Walsh said. “The only way we’re going to get to that point is staying focused on physical distancing and safe practices. That allows us to slow the spread of the virus one day at a time.”
An executive order requiring everyone over the age of 2 years old to wear a face-covering in public in Massachusetts went into effect Wednesday to help further slow the spread of the coronavirus.
Walsh reminded all Bostonians to adhere to the order or possibly face a fine of $300.
“When you’re anywhere near other people, we’re asking you to make sure that you have the face-covering on,” Walsh said. “The purpose of our guidelines is to empower and keep your families and communities safe. Our approach is to support you, not to punish you.”
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Walsh also outlined a plan for expanding testing across Boston.
“Testing plays an essential role in our progress towards recovering. It provides the data that we need to move forward with a phased reopening,” Walsh said. “Public health models tell us that the more testing we can do, the more we can reduce our positive infection rate, and give us the data and the confidence we need to move forward safely.”
Walsh said Boston significantly boosted its testing capacity last week but that the city has since upped its testing benchmark to 1,500 tests per day.
To reach that new mark, Walsh said Boston plans to expand testing by 50 percent at community health centers in every neighborhood, starting this week in Charlestown and Jamaica Plain.
Mobile testing capacity will also be expanded to “fill gaps in certain neighborhoods” and in environments where the risk for coronavirus is at its highest, according to Walsh.
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The testing van, which will be operational six days a week, has a goal of administering at least 150 tests each day.
Surveillance testing will be conducted for groups that are at risk for faster spread and more severe impact.
Walsh also noted that universal testing on the homeless population will soon be completed. Universal testing has also been launched among first responders.
“Ultimately our goal is to repeat testing for key populations and locations on a rotating basis as we reopen and the recovery moves forward,” Walsh said.
A large-scale antibody testing initiative is also underway to help better understand the spread of COVID-19 in Boston.
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