MA Reopens Today: Here's What To Know

Today's the day. Whether you think it's too soon, too late or just right, Massachusetts has lifted all remaining COVID-19 restrictions and mask mandates in most scenarios.

"We've been battling the virus for too long, but today we have an opportunity to put an exclamation point on all the hard work that so many people have done," Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday after signing orders that rescinded restrictions.

As of Saturday, all businesses and industries can open to 100 percent capacity and gathering limits have been dropped. Specifically, places like bars and nightclubs can reopen, street festivals and parades can carry on and restaurants no longer must enforce time or table limits, among other changes. Fenway Park and TD Garden are expecting full houses this afternoon and evening, respectively.

Things are going to look a lot different, too — you won't see as many masks indoors. The face covering mandate was adjusted to require masks only for public transportation and rideshares, nursing homes and hospitals, prisons and other congregate care settings and a few other settings. Masks must also be worn indoors at K-12 schools.

People who aren't fully vaccinated are encouraged to wear face coverings when indoors or social distancing isn't possible.

"Given the data as it currently exists right now, Massachusetts is in a place where we can lift these restrictions and do so with a fairly high degree of confidence that people have done the things that we needed to do to beat this thing down," Baker said.

Part of that data was the seven-day positive test rate, which hit a new low of 0.74 percent in Friday's update from the Department of Public Health. There were also 253 new cases and four deaths related to the virus reported.

In all, 660,655 people in Massachusetts have tested positive for the virus, which has taken 17,854 lives, counting the people who officials say likely died of it.