The COVID-19 pandemic in Boston was part of an ongoing viral pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in the Massachusetts city of Boston. The first confirmed case was reported on February1, 2020, and the number of cases began to increase rapidly by March 8. Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency on March 10. Mayor Marty Walsh declared a public health emergency on March 15. By March 21, more than a hundred people in Boston had tested positive for COVID-19. Most early cases were traceable to a company meeting held in late February by the biotechnology firm Biogen in Boston.
In May, Boston was first in Massachusetts for overall number of cases and eighteenth for cases per capita citywide. New cases per day peaked on April 24, 2020, at 659, and began to decline after. , Boston has the highest number of cases in Massachusetts and the 38th-highest number of cases per capita.
, there were 59,953 cumulative cases and 1,286 deaths due to COVID-19 in Boston. 11.4% of cases required hospitalization, 2.7% of cases resulted in death, and 84.6% of cases have recovered. 9.8% of cases were healthcare workers, and 46% of deaths were in long-term care facilities. , Boston had completed 308,851 molecular tests, 4.5% of which came back positive in the preceding week. Citywide, 45% of residents had been tested.
Timeline
2020
February
The first confirmed case of COVID-19 was reported by state officials on February1. The individual, a male in his 20s, had recently returned from Wuhan, China and began experiencing symptoms. He sought medical care but did not require hospitalization, and was therefore able to self-isolate and recover at home.
175 executives of Biogen, a biotechnology company based in Cambridge, held a two-day leadership conference from February 26–28 at the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel. On February 29, a Biogen executive began to develop symptoms and sought treatment at a Boston area hospital. Suspecting COVID-19 was the cause of the illness, the executive requested a test, but was told by hospital staff that it was not necessary.
March
On March 4, staff from Biogen contacted the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to report two executives who had attended the February employee meeting had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 upon returning home from Europe. The same day, a "significant number" of Biogen employees asked to be tested for the virus. On March5, Biogen reported that three individuals who had attended the company event in Boston the previous week had tested positive for SARS-CoV-2.
On March 6, the Boston Public Health Commission announced three new presumptive cases of SARS-CoV-2. Governor Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency for the state of Massachusetts on March 10. On March 13, the 2020 Boston Marathon was postponed to September 14, 2020. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced the closure of all Boston schools from March 17 until April 27.
On March 12, the Boston Marriott Long Wharf hotel, which had hosted the Biogen company gathering, closed temporarily. In a letter to their guests, the hotel said it made the decision in cooperation with the Boston Public Health Commission. On March 15, Mayor Walsh declared a public health emergency due to the concerns over COVID-19. Restaurants, bar rooms, and nightclubs were required to reduce their capacity by at least 50 percent. Governor Charlie Baker limited gatherings to below 25 people.
On March 15, Baker ordered all schools in Massachusetts to close for three weeks, from March 17 through April7. The same day, he also banned eating at restaurants, banned gatherings of more than 25 people, and relaxed unemployment claim requirements. On March 16, Mayor Walsh announced the closure of the Boston Public Library system. The MBTA also announced that service would be reduced starting March 17. Mayor Walsh also announced the closure of all construction sites starting March 17. On March 18, the City of Boston closed all playgrounds.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) announced that, starting March 17, it would run the subway and buses at Saturday levels of service during the week. The next day, service was increased on the Blue Line, Green Line E branch, and some bus lines to reduce crowding. Frequency on Massport shuttles to Logan International Airport was reduced or canceled.
On March 23, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker issued an order for all employers that do not provide essential services to close their workspaces. The limit of gatherings was lowered to 10 people. Massachusetts Department of Public Health issued a two-week stay-at-home advisory. On March 25, Governor Baker extended the closure of schools to May4. On March 31, Governor Baker extended his non-essential business closure to May4. On March 31, the Boston Police Department confirmed that 19 officers and three civilian employees had all tested positive.
April
On April2, Mayor Walsh announced plans to convert the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center (BCEC) into a field hospital with 500 beds assigned to the homeless and 500 to accept COVID-19 patients from city hospitals. On April 5, Mayor Walsh announced new regulations for social distancing in Boston. He encouraged everyone to wear a face covering when outside. The BPHC ordered for everyone except essential workers stay at home from 9:00pm to 6:00am every day, enforcing a curfew.
On April 5, Boston City Hall was closed to the public except for Tuesdays and Fridays, from 9:00am to 5:00pm. Every individual entering City Hall, including employees, was required to complete a self-screening for COVID-19 symptoms. On April 9, MIT published a study of sewage samples taken in the Boston area on March 25, to determine the extent of COVID-19 infections. The study suggested that approximately 115,000 of the Boston region's 2.3 million people were infected. At the time of sampling, Boston had only 284 confirmed cases in the area.
On April 10, Boston reduced parking near the Arnold Arboretum. On April 16, Mayor Walsh announced that a thousand residents will be invited to a Massachusetts study related to COVID-19 antibody testing. On April 21, Governor Baker announced the closure of all K-12 schools in Massachusetts through the end of the school year. On April 22, former 2020 Democratic presidential candidate and U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren from Massachusetts announced that her oldest brother had died from COVID-19 in Oklahoma.
On April 25, Governor Baker addressed the topic of when stay-at-home measures and closures of non-essential businesses would end. When restrictions were originally announced in mid-March, they were to end at noon on April7; later their projected end date was pushed to May4. Baker said it was unlikely restrictions would be lifted by then because the surge of cases had hit later than expectedMay4 presumed a surge in early April. Baker said the process of reopening will begin when hospitalizations start to decline consistently, and when there is "some evidence that we are in fact over the hump... with respect to the surge."
On April 27, Boston Public Health Commission extended the public health emergency declaration until further notice. On April 28, Governor Baker extended the stay-at-home advisory and non-essential business closure to May 18. He also said that once the advisory expires, the process of reopening will begin in stages, and not happen all at once. On April 29, the Public Health Advisory enforcing a curfew in Boston was extended to May 18.
May
On May 1, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker ordered all residents to wear a mask in public places when social distancing measures are not possible. This order goes into effect on May6. On May6, the city of Boston launched a major expansion in the public testing of COVID-19 in Boston. On May 8, Boston city officials announced that all parades and festivals were to be suspended to and on September 7.
On May13, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker announced his guidelines for reopening, starting May 18. He mentioned that the reopening will be in four phases. The first phase, will be very strict reopening, with just a few businesses opening again with social distancing and mask wearing regulations. The second phase will be cautious, with strict regulations remaining but more businesses reopening. The third phase will be a vigilant phase where most businesses open, but with very strict regulations. The fourth and final phase, as Baker stated, will be when a COVID-19 vaccine allows resumption of a new normal.
On May 16, Mayor Walsh released results of antibody testing among Boston residents. He stated that antibodies were present in 9.9% of the 750 residents tested. 2.6% of the residents were asymptomatic and tested positive for COVID-19. Mayor Walsh stated that most residents of Boston have not been yet exposed to the virus.
On May 18, Governor Baker released the details of the plan to reopen businesses in Massachusetts, and renamed the stay-at-home advisory to a "safer at home" advisory. The plan allows places of worship, essential businesses, manufacturing businesses, and construction sites to reopen with strict restrictions on May 18. Baker also announced that people who choose to ride the MBTA will be required to wear masks.
On May 26, all construction was to be allowed in Boston, with social distancing and mask wearing. On May 26, Governor Baker announced that the Boston Hope field hospital would no longer be accepting new patients. On May 28, the Boston Marathon was cancelled for the first time in 124 years. Instead, the marathon was to be held as a virtual event.
On May 28, Mayor Walsh announced a new "healthy streets" program to promote social distancing in the roads of Boston. Bus stops would be expanded, bike lakes would be built more quickly, and outdoor seating at restaurants would expand. On May 29, the City of Boston released a "return to workplace framework" to safely reopen workplaces. Social distancing of 6 feet was to be enforced in all workplaces. Workplaces were to reduce capacity, ensure access to handwashing facilities, and clean and disinfect frequently.
June
Massachusetts Governor Baker announced on June 6 that Phase 2 of his reopening plan was to begin on June 8. This was to allow childcare, day camps, lodging retail stores, and outdoor seating at restaurants to reopen with restrictions. On June 8, the Public Health Advisory enforcing a curfew in Boston from 9:00 pm to 6:00 am was lifted. This came with the start of Phase 2 of the state's reopening plan.
On June 9, Mayor Walsh and the East Boston Neighborhood Health Center set up a new pop-up testing site in Roxbury. This is as a result of the recent protests in and around Boston over the murder of George Floyd. On June 11, the Cambridge-based biotech company Moderna announced they had developed a COVID-19 vaccine ready to be tested in a large scale. Moderna had 30,000 volunteers ready to test the vaccine in July, to see its effects.
On June 11, Massachusetts announced a study with 150 volunteers to test if COVID-19 survivor plasma can prevent COVID-19. Thousands of COVID-19 patients worldwide have been treated with convalescent plasma already. On June 12, Boston Public Library announced the launch of their "BPL to Go" program on June 22. This program allowed patrons to "order" library items by placing a hold on the item, and then safely picking up the item from a branch library.