Gov. Charlie Baker speaks during a State House press briefing where he extended his order closing non-essential businesses and his stay-at-home advisory for residents until May 18. Photo by Matthew J. Lee | Boston Globe staff/Pool
Gov. Charlie Baker is extending the state’s stay-at-home advisory, ban on gatherings of 10 or more and closure of non-essential businesses until May 18.
“I know we’ll get there soon but we have to be smart about how we do it,” Baker said at a mid-day press conference Tuesday. “There are risks associated with opening too soon.”
There were 8,159 cases of COVID-19 in Boston as of Sunday and 302 deaths. The state’s number of cases appear to have “plateaued,” Baker said, but stayed at a “high level” and not declined. Public health officials say cases numbers must be declining for the state to safely reopen without running the risk of a resurgence in the pandemic.
Baker also announced the formation of a 17-member advisory board to write “rules of the road” on how the state will reopen sectors of its economy. The board will be made up of public health officials including Commissioner Monica Bharel, three municipal leaders and 11 “business leaders,” which Baker said included Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, who will co-chair the panel with Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, promised labor leaders would be consulted on the reopening process, as well. No senior real estate industry figure sits on the panel, although Burton was formerly the operations director for boutique development firm New Boston Ventures.
The full list of advisory board members is:
- CEO of Kronos Inc and Ultimate Software Aron Ain
- General Dynamics Vice President and General Manager of Maritime & Strategic Systems Carlo Zaffanella
- Rapid 7 CEO Corey Thomas
- Lawrence Mayor Daniel Rivera
- Massachusetts General Hospital public health expert Rochelle Walensky
- eClinicalWorks CEO and Co-Founder Girish Navani
- Joseph Abboud Manufacturing Senior Vice President Joe Bahena
- Kathryn Burton, chief of staff for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh
- Worcester Polytechnic Institute President Laurie Leshin
- Cape Air President Linda Markham
- Baystate Health President and CEO Mark Keroack
- Department of Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel
- Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle
- Fidelity Investments Head of Regional Public Affairs and Community Relations Pamela Everhart
- Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack
- Davios Restaurants CEO Steve DiFillippo
- Nantucket Book Partners owner Wendy Hudson
Baker promised Tuesday the reopening will be “phased,” and the phasing will be based on businesses’ likelihood “to succeed” in a post-coronavirus world. The advisory board will consider whether to allow daycare centers to open sooner than the June 29 date Baker previously announced, to help workers return to their jobs.
Regardless of when the state begins to reopen its economy, social distancing will be with us through the summer, according to the White House coronavirus response coordinator, who on Sunday also explained Vice President Mike Pence’s assertion that by Memorial Day “we will largely have this coronavirus epidemic behind us.”
During an appearance on “Meet the Press” with Chuck Todd, Dr. Deborah Birx said, “Social distancing will be with us through the summer to really ensure that we protect one another as we move through these phases.”
State House News Service contributed to this report.
