Coronavirus

When Will Phase 3 of Reopening Begin in Mass.?

NBC Universal, Inc.

Massachusetts restaurants are now allowed to serve customers indoors.

UPDATE (July 2, 2020): Gov. Baker said Phase 3 of Massachusetts' reopening plan will begin Monday, July 6.

Now that restaurants, offices and retail have all officially been allowed to open, the question is when Phase 3 of the reopening of the Massachusetts economy will begin.

The second step of Phase 2 of the state's 4-phased reopening started Monday, including indoor dining, increased office capacity, tanning salons, tattoo palors, personal training, massage therapy, hair removal and hair replacement. Retailers are now also allowed to open fitting rooms by appointment only.

Gov. Charlie Baker said last week that he wants at least two weeks of new data between each stage. Under that scenario, that would mean Phase 3, including the reopening of gyms, outdoor camps, museums and more, would start no sooner than July 6.

The numbers continued to trend in the right direction on Monday, with Massachusetts reporting 17 new coronavirus deaths, the lowest one-day total since early April. A total of 7,874 residents have now died from the virus.

Restaurants will be required to limit parties to six people and provide six feet of distancing between tables.

The state Department of Public Health also announced 149 new coronavirus cases for a total of 107,210 since the start of the pandemic. The 3-day average of COVID-19 deaths is now down 83% since mid-April and hospitalizations are down 74%.

The six indicators informing how fast Massachusetts can move through the four phases of reopening the state are: the COVID-19 positive test rate, the number of individuals who died from COVID-19, the number of patients with COVID-19 in hospitals, the health care system's readiness, testing capacity, contact tracing capabilities. Half are currently trending positively and half are "in progress."

Here's where we stand on reopening Massachusetts:

What Businesses Are Open in Massachusetts Now?

Note that reopened businesses are still required to follow workspace safety guidelines that incorporate social distancing, hygiene and staffing requirements, as well as guidelines specific to individual sectors.

  • Essential businesses
  • Banks and financial services
  • Churches and other houses of worship
  • Restaurants (indoor and outdoor seating)
  • Retail stores
  • Short-term lodgings like hotels, motels and inns
  • Construction, home remodeling and installations
  • Manufacturing
  • Warehouses and distribution centers
  • In-house services like babysitting and nannying
  • Real estate open houses, with restrictions
  • Hair salons and barbershops
  • Day camps
  • Youth sports
  • Funeral homes
  • Office spaces (50% maximum occupancy)
  • Car dealerships
  • Car washes
  • Drive-in movie theaters
  • Libraries
  • Pet grooming
  • Beaches, golf clubs and facilities, parks, fishing, hunting, boating, outdoor adventure activities
  • Outdoor recreational facilities like pools, playgrounds, mini golf and batting cages
  • Outdoor amateur sports
  • Professional sports practice and training
  • Outdoor historical spaces, gardens, zoos and public spaces
  • Gun stores and shooting ranges
  • Lab spaces
  • Casino hotels and restaurants (but not gaming floors, theaters or arenas)
  • Driving schools
  • Occupational schools -- if students are finishing "a degree, program, or prerequisite for employment, or other similar requirement for completion"
  • Non-close contact personal services, like window washing, photography and career coaching
  • Non-athletic instructional classes for arts, education or life skills, for anyone under 18 and in groups of less than 10
  • Flight schools
  • Beer gardens, breweries, distilleries and wineries -- if serving outdoor food under dining permits
  • Close-contact personal services like nail salons, massages and tattoo parlors
  • Personal trainers

What Businesses Are Still Closed in Massachusetts?

Any business in Phase 3 and 4 of the reopening plan is still required to stay closed. That includes:

Bars, nightclubs, dance clubs, beer gardens, breweries, distilleries and wineries (Phase 4)

Outdoor weddings, events and large gatherings with moderate capacity (Phase 3)

Outdoor camps (Phase 3)

Movie theaters (Phase 3 for moderate-capacity theaters, Phase 4 for large-capacity theaters)

Gyms, fitness clubs and health clubs (Phase 3, with their sauas, steam rooms and hot tubs in Phase 4)

Indoor amateur sports and athletic facilities besides for youth programs (Phase 3)

Museums and aquariums (Phase 3)

Indoor historic spaces (Phase 3)

Moderate-capacity theaters and performance halls (Phase 3)

Large-capacity venues, like theaters, ballrooms, stadiums and convention halls (Phase 4)

Amusement parks, theme parks and water parks (Phase 4)

Non-athletic instructional classes for arts, education or life skills, for anyone 18 or older and in groups of any size (Phase 3)

Movie and TV productions (Phase 3)

Exit mobile version