BOSTON (WHDH) - Mayor Martin J. Walsh on Friday announced that new COVID-19 cases are on the decline in Boston as the city prepares to launch Phase 3 of its reopening process on Monday.
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“We are going to make sure that we are moving in the right direction as we think about reopening in different phases,” Walsh said during a news conference at City Hall. “We are going to continue to track any new cases, which have been going down over the last 14 days. That’s a good sign here in Boston.”
The ICU usage in city hospitals is at 75 percent of normal capacity, which is “well below” surge level, according to Walsh. He also said that the rate of new positive coronavirus tests fell to 1.8 percent during the week leading up to the Fourth of July.
Walsh said health officials will be focused on making testing more widely available for symptomatic and asymptomatic people in neighborhoods across the city as the reopening process moves along.
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All of Massachusetts entered Phase 3 on Monday, but Walsh said it was best for the safety of Boston to wait an additional week.
Phase 3 allows for the reopening of gyms, museums, outdoor wedding and performance venues, movie theaters, casinos, guided tours, health clubs, fitness centers, and indoor pools, among other things.
“All of the work that is going on has allowed us to enter Phase 3 with both caution and confidence,” Walsh said. “We took an extra week here in Boston to take extra steps due to our unique concerns here in the city.”
City Hall will remain open for appointments only until further notice and meetings will still be held online, according to Walsh.
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Walsh explained that Boston will be putting an emphasis on making sure parks and playgrounds are accessible for residents this summer, but attendance at outdoor events will be limited to 50 people.
Those who participate in high-contact sports like basketball, football, and lacrosse can take part in practices but games will not be permitted in Phase 3.
Walsh urged all residents to continue to wear a mask in public, practice social distancing, avoid large crowds, and frequently sanitize their hands and hard surfaces to avoid another spike in cases.
“We can move forward because we have been doing the right things in Boston. We need to continue to do the right things,” Walsh said. “We see what is happening in other states…cases are reaching new highs every day.”
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