Boston Deemed High-Risk City, Won't Further Reopen

BOSTON — Boston will not be joining most of the rest of the communities in Massachusetts when they enter the next part of Phase Three on Monday.

Boston was elevated to a high-risk community in the latest coronavirus map released Wednesday. Over the past two weeks there have been 825 confirmed cases with a 0.56 percent positivity rate.

Communities are marked high-risk, or red, due to more than eight confirmed COVID-19 cases per 100,000 residents over the past two weeks. Boston is at 8.5.

Boston will have to go three weeks without being high-risk to begin Part 2 of Phase 3. That step forward reopens indoor performance venues; expands capacity at outdoor performance venues, gyms, museums, driving and flight schools; reopens more indoor activities; and permits fitting rooms to open in all retail stores. It also allows for increased outdoor gatherings at events and in public settings.

Mayor Marty Walsh said earlier Wednesday Boston won't be going into the next step of the state's reopening plan, citing his expectation the city would move into the high-risk category.

Walsh said food courts can reopen and movie theaters can increase capacity to 50 percent, but other reopening measures won't be in effect.

"The reason why we’re doing this is because we’re seeing our numbers go up here in the city of Boston," Walsh. "We want to make sure that we stop that increase before it comes to a point where we’re having the entire city shut down again."

With Wednesday's update, the following 29 communities do not qualify to move forward: Attleboro, Avon, Boston, Chelsea, Dedham, Everett, Dracut, Framingham, Haverhill, Holliston, Lowell, Lawrence, Lynn, Lynnfield, Marlborough, Methuen, Middleton, Monson, Nantucket, New Bedford, North Andover, Plainville, Revere, Saugus, Springfield, Tynsborough, Winthrop, Worcester and Wrentham.

The 11 new communities added to the list were: Attleboro, Avon, Boston, Dracut, Haverhill, Lowell, Lynnfield, Methuen, Middleton, North Andover and Springfield.