Gov. Charlie Baker said the state is “talking” about changing the current limits of indoor and outdoor meetings after private parties have sparked several high-profile outbreaks in recent days.
“That’s one of the things we’re talking about,” Baker said at a press conference Thursday in response to reporters’ questions about the state’s meeting size limits.
Outdoor meetings are now limited to 100 people or less, while indoor meetings should be limited to 25 people, according to coronavirus guidelines.
The positive test rate has crawled to 2% in recent days after hovering around 1.7% since July 11. It is still a low number, but Baker warned that coronavirus numbers will not remain low without “vigilance and discipline from every resident.”
The governor pointed the finger at private parties where he said people have been “careless and accommodating” when it comes to wearing masks and social distancing.
A large party in Chatham earlier this month was linked to a group of new infections. Eight first responders from Cape Cod were found to be infected after another part.
“The biggest problem is not so much the nature of the size of some of these gatherings, especially the private ones that take place in backyards and places like that. The biggest problem is honestly the overall behavior in those, who is not socially distant, unmasked, and in some respects a lack of respect for how this virus works and how it moves from person to person, “Baker said, speaking at Pfizer in Andover.
State health officials reported 15 new deaths from coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the state’s number of COVID-19 deaths to 8,595. The three-day average of daily coronavirus deaths has decreased from 161 in early May to 13 now.
