Cambridge Rolls Back To 'Modified' Phase II As COVID Cases Rise
CAMBRIDGE (CBS) – Cambridge will roll back to what it is calling a "modified" Phase II, Step 2 in the Reopening Massachusetts Plan due to an increase in COVID-19 cases. The rollback begins Saturday.
Read: Cambridge Temporary Emergency Order
"Like many communities, Cambridge has experienced an increase in COVID-19 cases among its residents following the Thanksgiving holiday and our daily case rate has not returned to pre-Thanksgiving levels," said City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. "We continue to urge everyone to take personal responsibility for slowing the spread of COVID-19 and follow the public health guidelines while visiting public spaces or businesses. I strongly encourage residents for the next few weeks to minimize or avoid in-person gatherings with people from outside their immediate household."
The city will close museums, historic sites, sightseeing tours, movie theaters, indoor meeting and function rooms, and indoor recreation activities, including indoor batting cages, bowling alleys and rock-climbing walls.
Fitness centers and indoor athletic facilities will be allowed to operate at 25% capacity and face additional restrictions. Outdoor theaters and events spaces are limited to 25 people and indoor art/education/life classes for adults may only have 10 people.
"While new infection rates in Cambridge are currently lower than in neighboring communities, as well as in most large cities in the Commonwealth, we have seen significant increased community transmission in Cambridge since Thanksgiving," said Claude A. Jacob, Chief Public Health Officer and director of the Cambridge Public Health Department.
The city issued the emergency order on Wednesday in addition to Governor Baker's capacity restrictions, which were announced on Tuesday. The emergency order will remain in effect until January 16.