BOSTON (AP) - Restaurants in Massachusetts will be allowed to offer indoor dining and nail salons and other close contact services will be able to reopen Monday, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker announced Friday.
Retail outlets will also be permitted to offer dressing rooms, though by appointment only, and offices will be allowed to increase their capacity to 50%, he said.
Baker said he made the decisions because the state’s rate of positive coronavirus tests continues to decline.
“We’re moving in the right direction as we continue our gradual reopening,” he said.
Earlier this month, restaurants were allowed to resume outdoor dining. They’ve been limited to take out and delivery service only since the pandemic hit in mid-March.
For indoor dining on Monday, tables will have to be at least six feet apart and parties will be limited to six people, Baker said. Bar seating will still be banned but there won’t be any additional seating capacity limits, as have been imposed in other states.
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association, meanwhile, warned Friday that the coronavirus pandemic could wipe out 3,600 eateries, or roughly 25% of the state’s 16,000 restaurants.
Bob Luz, the association’s president, said downtown Boston will likely be hit harder than others because downtown activity from office workers, tourists and college students has virtually evaporated.
__
VIRUS RACIAL DATA
The coronavirus pandemic has disproportionately impacted communities of color in Massachusetts, state data released Friday shows.
Nearly 30% of the state’s COVID-19 cases are among Hispanic residents, who account for just 12% of the state’s population, the state Department of Health said.
Black residents are about 14% of all coronavirus cases but represent just 7% of the population.
The rate of positive cases among blacks and Hispanics is also more than three times that of white residents, according to the data.
And blacks and Hispanics overall have higher rates of death from COVID-19 than whites and Asians.
State Department of Public Health Commissioner Monica Bharel said the findings are the latest indicator that “change is necessary” to address racial inequities in public health.
Massachusetts officials reported 30 new deaths from the virus on Friday, for a total of 7,800 during the pandemic. They also reported 228 new positive COVID-19 cases, bringing the state’s total to more than 106,000.
__
STATE UNIVERSITIES REOPENING
State universities, including Bridgewater, Fitchburg, Framingham, Salem, Westfield and Worcester, say they plan to reopen dormitories and resume on-campus classes come September.
The universities said fall classes will also include some remote coursework.
The State Universities Council of Presidents said the institutions are “well-positioned to adapt to gathering size limitations and social distancing requirements” because they have few large lecture-style classes and maintain low student-to-faculty ratios.
The University of Massachusetts system, which includes campuses in Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, Lowell and Worcester, has not announced its plans for the fall semester.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.