BOSTON (AP) - Massachusetts is cracking down on larger gatherings, bars “masquerading” as restaurants and other events that could help spread the coronavirus as public health officials work to tamp down an uptick in COVID-19 cases, Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday.
Baker also said he is postponing indefinitely step two of phase III of the state’s reopening plan given the rise of cases.
Baker said there have been recent reports of big parties that have helped the virus spread.
“These parties are too big, too crowded and people are simply not being responsible about face coverings, social distancing,” Baker said, pointing to a recent wedding in Gardner that drew together more than 300 people.
Baker said he is rolling back the size of outdoor gatherings allowed in Massachusetts from 100 to 50 both at public and private locations.
Some bars have tried to skirt the regulation that allows restaurants to serve alcoholic drinks with meals prepared on site, according to Baker.
Just offering pretzels and potato chips doesn’t count, Baker said.
“Bars are closed in Massachusetts and bars masquerading as restaurants also need to be closed,” Baker said.
Baker said he’s authorizing all state and local police officers to enforce the COVID-19 regulations.
Baker also said Friday that the state is preparing to ramp up assistance to higher risk communities that have seen increases in cases.
The decision to postpone the next step of the state’s reopening plan could doom some businesses, according to Christopher Carlozzi, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business in Massachusetts.
“It is extremely disappointing that Governor Baker is choosing to roll back the state’s reopening,” Carlozzi said. “Many of these businesses, that were patiently waiting for Phase 3 part 2 to begin, may now never reopen their doors again.”
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VIRUS BY THE NUMBERS
Massachusetts reported 18 newly confirmed deaths linked to COVID-19 on Friday - bringing the total number of confirmed and probable deaths to 8,709 since the start of the pandemic.
The state also on Friday reported 417 newly confirmed and probable cases of the disease caused by the coronavirus.
That brings the total number of confirmed and probable cases to more than 120,000 in Massachusetts since the start of the pandemic.
There were 390 people reported hospitalized Friday because of COVID-19, while 69 were in intensive care units.
The number of confirmed and probable COVID-19 related deaths at long-term care homes rose to 5,551 or nearly 64% of all confirmed and probable deaths in Massachusetts attributed to the disease.
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SCHOOLS REOPENING
Baker is urging school districts to open classrooms to as many students as possible when the new school year starts.
The Republican said the state will offer as much guidance and financial resources as possible, but he emphasized the importance of getting students — particularly very young students — into classrooms, arguing against the push for remote learning.
“The facts don’t support it, the data doesn’t support it, and the science doesn’t support it,” he said during a Friday press conference.
Some districts — including Cambridge, Somerville and Lynn — have opted to start the school year remotely for most students with the option of shifting into a hybrid model.
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UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS AMHERST
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is the largest college in the state to drastically amend its reopening plans in response to a rising number of coronavirus infections across the country.
The state’s flagship state university on Thursday announced students scheduled to have only online classes in the fall will not be allowed on campus.
Only students who are enrolled in essential face-to-face classes, including laboratories and studios, will be allowed in dormitories, dining halls and other campus facilities.
“When we make a clear-eyed assessment of the public health data and comparable reopening attempts that are playing out across the country, we feel that we have no choice but to make the difficult decision to enact these changes to our fall plan,” Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy said in a statement.
UMass Amherst has about 30,000 undergraduate and graduate students.
The school now expects to have about 740 students living on campus, while another 2,400 students who have in-person classes will live off campus.
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HOTEL FINED
A Massachusetts hotel has been fined $600 for hosting two events last weekend that reportedly violated state-mandated limits on the size of gatherings meant to stop the spread of the coronavirus, officials said.
The Colonial Hotel in Gardner was fined $300 for each alleged violation, Mayor Michael Nicholson told The Telegram & Gazette.
A wedding Saturday included 240 guests and 70 staff, he said. There were 190 people at another gathering the following day. Indoor events are limited to 25 people and outdoor events are limited to 100 people.
The hotel in a statement said it takes the health and safety of its guests seriously.
“We look forward to working with local and state officials to address some misconceptions about our recent operations and clear up some inaccuracies that have been reported,” the statement said.
The story was first reported by The Boston Business Journal.
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U.S.S. CONSTITUTION
The U.S.S. Constitution, and the U.S.S. Constitution Museum in Boston reopened to the public on Friday for the first time since March when they closed of the coronavirus pandemic.
There are some changes, though.
Guests on board the ship known as “Old Ironsides” as well as in the museum will be required to wear a face coverings and guest capacity will be limited.
The U.S.S Constitution is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat.
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