BOSTON — Boston announced it will allow restaurants and other businesses to stay open later after Governor Charlie Baker announced it statewide on Thursday. But even with positive cases going down in all of the city’s neighborhoods, Mayor Marty Walsh is keeping the reopening at Phase 2, Step 2. That means places like gyms, museums and aquariums have to stay closed.
Walsh and his health officials say they are going to look at numbers on Saturday and the early part of next week and then announce whether they can move up to Phase 3 where most of the state is.
“We are going to continue to evaluate the situation in our city and provide an update on whether this pause will continue or end next week,” said Walsh.
Boston Health & Human Services Chief Marty Martinez told us how the city is aggressively trying to get hard-hit communities of color vaccinated. Public service campaigns are already underway including testimonials from minorities on the front lines now.
Boston EMS Deputy Superintendent Janell Jimenez told us, “no a matter how much equipment I wear or appropriate cautions taken at work there was still a chance that I could bring this deadly virus home to my loved ones.”
“Honestly after the first shot, I felt 100% better. It was just a sense of relief, a burden that I could be a part of to get back to normality,” said Boston Medical Center Dr. Thea James.
The city is also working on opening vaccination sites using places like the Reggie Lewis Center in Roxbury.
“So that when folks qualify and you are in a diverse you can go somewhere in your neighborhood to get vaccinated,” said Boston Health & Human Services Chief Marty Martinez.
Boston is also getting its first mass vaccination site on February 1 at Fenway Park.
Download the free Boston 25 News app for up-to-the-minute push alerts
>> Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here
RESOURCES:
- Complete local and national coronavirus coverage here
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter | Watch Boston 25 NOW
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/DYHLUGBQXBFZPDCUYEFZ3Q4AQM.jpeg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/QB46J4DXLRAYPO4L64U6JDRGTU.jpg)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/GT7NQWKTJRDRLEQ6SBPWVXRHME.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/2AOOSACB3ND6NAHUUXZY2Z6QRU.png)
:quality(70)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/NVN6XSCFLJCWTGTECVR3ZVU46Y.jpeg)