Boston, which is poised to enter phase 3 of reopening on July 13—at which point gyms, movie theaters, libraries, museums, and casino gaming floors will be allowed to reopen—has had 13,578 reported cases of coronavirus and 710 deaths thus far; and 9,568 patients have recovered from COVID-19. The city reported 22 new coronavirus cases and no new deaths on July 7. While Walsh admitted that restaurants, hotels, and tourism in Boston are “in for a bit more of a ride” as those businesses slowly and methodically reopen to abide by the city’s new capacity and social distancing limitations, he said that a slow and steady approach would serve the city well in the long-run.ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb “People, when they start to travel again, [will] come to Boston because our numbers are so low,” he said. It’s not just Boston that’s doing admirable work toward limiting the pandemic’s spread; the state of Massachusetts as a whole has reported 110,338 coronavirus cases and 8,213 total deaths—numbers that have earned high praise from public health experts. RELATED: For more up-to-date information, sign up for our daily newsletter. “Massachusetts has done a really, really good job. They have,” said Anthony Fauci, MD, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and a lead member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force. However, not everyone is so optimistic about the state’s continued progress. “I worry a little bit about what’s going to happen in Massachusetts,” said Ashish Jha, MD, director of the Harvard Global Health Institute, in a press conference on July 6. Jha specifically cited concerns about the reopening of bars and restaurants and what effect an uptick in coronavirus cases related to indoor gatherings could have on Massachusetts schools reopening in the fall. “If we start seeing things headed in the wrong direction, I’d like the governors and the leadership of [New England] states to stop and reverse course, because I really want schools to open this fall,” he explained. And if you want to know where COVID is spreading like wildfire, This Major City Is Locking Down Again as Coronavirus Surges.
