'The Next Step Is Shutting Everything Down,' Walsh Says Of Rising Boston COVID Cases
BOSTON (CBS) – Mayor Marty Walsh said on Thursday that with COVID-19 cases surging in the city, officials may be forced to put new shutdowns in place if residents don't help stop the spread of the virus.
Asked about what additional guidelines the city could put in place to slow the spread of coronavirus, Walsh said "There's not much more we can take."
"I mean, we have we have a curfew in place from 10 p.m. to five in the morning. We have a mask order and people wear masks. We're asking people to wash your hands and physical, social distance. Our schools are closed right now," said Walsh. "The next step is shutting everything down, that's the next step. And we've done that before."
The mayor added that numbers could exceed what was reported in the city during April and May.
"And then we have real problems," said Walsh.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday that a field hospital will be set up in Lowell. It will be the second in the state, as one at the DCU Center in Worcester will be the first.
In the spring, a field hospital was constructed in Boston's Seaport District. But during his Thursday press conference, Baker said there are no immediate plans for the facility to be built again.
"If these numbers continue to go up, maybe Tuesday I'm standing here we could be talking about putting plans down for shutting things down," said Walsh. "Hopefully Tuesday I'm talking about, we're seeing the numbers go the other way again. We'll see."
