What to know now that Mass. has officially rolled back to Phase 3, Step 1 in the statewide reopening plan

The Bay State has now officially rolled back to the first step of Phase 3 in Massachusetts’ reopening plan. 

The new order, which Governor Charlie Baker announced Tuesday, took effect Sunday. 

“The days of most people doing most of the right things are probably not enough,” the Republican governor said in his earlier press conference.

With the step back, a number of changes are now in place, including reduced capacity limits from 50 percent to 40 percent of the maximum occupancy for a variety of places such as retail stores, gyms, offices, libraries, golf facilities, driving schools, places of worship, movie theaters, and museums.

Indoor performance venues, certain retail fitting rooms, and recreational facilities like escape rooms or trampoline parks are also now set to close. Outdoor performance venues, on the other hand, will be limited to 25% capacity or no more than 50 people. 

All other outdoor gatherings at venues are limited to 50 people now, and anyone hosting private outdoor gatherings with more than 25 people will be required to provide advanced notice of the gathering to their local board of health. 

In addition to the rollback, Baker also enacted new restrictions for restaurants, gyms, and offices.

As of Sunday, food court seating will close in malls, gym customers are required to wear masks at all times, and at venues with seated dining, there’s now a six-person limit at each table, a 90-minute dining time limit, and patrons will be required to wear a mask at all times except when actually eating or drinking. 

In offices, employers are encouraged to close up break rooms and push telework options, while employees are now required to wear a mask at all times, unless they’re alone in their own workspace. 

Here’s the difference between the first and second steps of Phase 3. – Mass.gov

Massachusetts on Sunday reported 1,707 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, a 5.61% seven-day average positivity rate, and 70,651 estimated active cases.