Phase 2 of Governor Charlie Baker’s reopening plan begins June 8 and will be conducted in two parts, says Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy.
Starting Monday, step 1 of Phase 2 will allow for the reopening of retail stores, child care, day camps, lodging, youth sports, and outdoor dining at restaurants, as well as the resumption of preventative healthcare services.
Step 2’s start date is yet to be announced and will be determined by continued improvements in the state’s public health metrics. Once issued, it will allow close-contact personal services, including nail salons, massage therapy businesses, and tanning salons, to resume limited operations, and restaurants will be allowed to begin serving patrons indoors.
“Thanks to the cooperation of the public, businesses, and workers in fighting COVID-19, we’ve seen strong improvements in key public health metrics,” Kennealy said Saturday. “This gives us the confidence to take the next steps in our four-phase reopening plan as we move towards a new normal.”
One local business owner, RoseAnne DeFilippo of Roseanne Hair Salon in Peabody, said she’s thrilled her salon will be able to ease further back into its usual operations with the start of Phase 2, which comes more than two months after the shop shut down to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
“My salon’s been closed since March 21,” she said. “We’re like a family here, and being away from (clients and coworkers) was really, really devastating.”
Although DeFilippo reopened her doors May 25 following Phase I guidelines, her salon has only been able to operate at reduced capacity, and several services she normally offers are currently suspended.
“We’re limited on things we can do. We’re not able to do eyebrows, massages, facials, manicures, and pedicures,” she said. “Now that we’re able to bring it in a little at a time, I’m really happy about it.
“It’s been a long haul, but it’s worth every minute of waiting. It’s a lot of work, but we’re doing what we have to do to stay open, keep everyone safe, and be right back on the road of recovery.”
During Saturday’s press conference, Baker said that since the beginning of May, the seven-day average for positive COVID-19 tests has gone down 82 percent, the three-day average of patients hospitalized is down 55 percent, and the number of hospitals operating in surge is down 76 percent.
Massachusetts’ COVID-19 command center has since updated a third tracking metric — the number of COVID-19-positive patients in state hospitals — to green.
“We are clearly on the path to beat the virus, but … until there are medical breakthroughs, we have to continue to play our part in fighting the virus,” Baker said. “COVID-19 is still very much with us. It’s incredibly contagious, and in some cases, merciless to those who are affected by it.
“While we should all feel a certain sense of relief and progress with respect to the start of Phase 2, we should also keep in mind that we have a way to go to get to what we would call a ‘permanent new normal.'”
He also announced that the state has conducted a total of 630,000 viral tests since the start of the coronavirus outbreak, adding that Massachusetts continues to increase both the number of tests conducted per day and the number of testing stations available state-wide.
“The start of Phase 2 is a bright spot for our commonwealth,” Baker said. “It marks progress and will hopefully breathe new life into our economy for more sectors, like retail, restaurants, and lodging.”
More information about the state’s four-phase reopening plan can be found at mass.gov/reopening.