A look at coronavirus-related developments around New England on Saturday.
Diners will be able to eat outside in Massachusetts, and retail stores, day camps and day care centers will be allowed to resume operations Monday during the next phase of loosening restrictions imposed to slow the spread of the coronavirus, Gov. Charlie Baker announced.
“Thanks to your hard work and your sacrifices, we’re bringing the fight to the virus, we’re moving forward and Massachusetts is continuing to reopen,” Baker said Saturday at the Statehouse.
There will be strict requirements for masks and social distancing for businesses that reopen Monday.
Indoor dining will be remain off limits, Baker said. Day camps and child care facilities can open, but not overnight camps, Baker said. And hotels and motels will be allowed to accept all guests, not just essential workers, he said.
Baker said he’s comfortable with moving forward with reopening the economy because the state has recorded a fall in the number of new cases and hospitalizations.
The Department of Public Health moved the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations into “positive trend” status for the first time on Friday. The state already reported that testing capacity and the rate of tests that come back positive were on a positive trajectory.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported Saturday that there were 575 new coronavirus cases and 55 deaths.
