Boston's formal declaration of a Covid-19 emergency to end on April 1

Around 3 p.m. on Sunday, March 15, 2020, Mayor Walsh declared a public-health emergency in Boston. This afternoon, Mayor Wu and Public Health Commissioner Bisola Ojikutu announced that declaration ends on April 1.

The announcement comes a week after Wu and Ojikutu lifted the city's indoor mask requirements and almost a month after the city ended the requirement that patrons of indoor public spaces show proof of vaccination.

Dr. Ojikutu’s recommendation to rescind the order is based on the City’s consistently improving core COVID-19 metrics, including community positivity, daily adult COVID-19 hospitalizations, and occupied ICU beds. As of March 7, the community positivity rate is 2.2%, down from a peak of 32% in early January. Daily adult hospitalizations have also steadily declined and are now down to 94 after peaking at 769 in mid-January. The percentage of occupied ICU beds has been consistently below the Commission’s 95% threshold of concern over the last few weeks.

But don't throw out those masks just yet - especially if you have kids in a Boston school. The virus is still out there, you should still get your shots if you haven't and masks are still required on the T, in hospitals and other health-care facilities and, at least for now in Boston Public School buildings.

Boston Public Health Commission officials provided a recommended framework for Boston Public Schools to use in determining when to lift the school masking requirement. Dr. Sarimer Sánchez from BPHC’s Infectious Diseases Bureau advised reviewing the school masking policy when the number of positive COVID-19 tests per day in Boston falls below 10 cases per day per 100,000 residents while considering other COVID-19 metrics. BPHC is also encouraging development of “mask friendly” policies for students and staff and increasing access to vaccines in school communities. The current COVID-19 daily case incidence is approximately 13 cases per 100,000 residents in Boston. The final decision on revising the school mask policy will be made by Boston Public Schools.

Also, if you live or work with vulnerable people, think about keeping those masks on:

Despite lower case numbers, BPHC cautions residents that COVID-19 is still transmissible, and can result in severe illness and hospitalization, especially for the city’s most vulnerable residents. The Commission recommends residents protect themselves and those around them by getting vaccinated, boosted, and wearing masks indoors if they are at high risk for severe illness or if they will be around individuals who are. There are many people in Boston who are vulnerable to COVID-19, including individuals who are immunocompromised, seniors, and those who are unvaccinated, including young children. Wearing a well-fitting mask or respirator while indoors minimizes your risk of getting infected with COVID-19 and spreading it to others.