MA Stay-At-Home Advisory Issued, Nonessential Businesses To Close

Gov. Charlie Baker has issued a statewide stay-at-home advisory, the most extreme measure yet in the fight to slow the spread of the new coronavirus. The advisory goes into effect Tuesday at noon and will last through at least April 7.

All nonessential businesses will close. Grocery stores and pharmacies — and the businesses that support their operation — will remain open, as will medical facilities and gas stations. Restaurants can still offer takeout and delivery services, provided they observe proper social distancing. Liquor stores and medical marijuana dispensaries will also be considered essential.

Baker is not prohibiting travel, and said public transportation will continue to operate.

Baker said he is not deeming it an order as he will not confine people to their homes, but most businesses must close.

"If you're not an essential business, based on this list, you basically need to close your doors with respect to your physical operation," Baker said.

Baker classified a wide array of businesses and professions as essential. See the full list of what is considered essential.

Public gatherings are being reduced to no more than 10 people, a reduction from the 25-person limit earlier established and in line with federal guidelines.

Baker said the advisory will be enforced at the local level.

Baker's announcement comes as COVID-19 continues to spread across the state. On Sunday, Nantucket and Provincetown became the first two Massachusetts communities to order people to stay at home.

"If you look at the location at a lot of the positive tests, there has been significant spread in every county in the state of Massachusetts," Baker said. "And that's part of the reason for this order today."

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Baker spent most of last week reaffirming he was not planning on shutting the state down, but faced mounting pressure to reconsider as California, New York, Ohio, Connecticut and Louisiana took similar measures. Dozens of city and state elected officials were pushing for Baker to institute the order.

Massachusetts has seen a surge in COVID-19 cases as testing expands and the virus spreads. State health officials reported 646 cases as of late Sunday afternoon.

Five deaths related to COVID-19 have been reported since Friday. Four cases were men in the 70s, 80s or 90s, with two having an underlying health condition, and the other case was a woman in her 50s, who also had a preexisting condition.

Massachusetts has been under a state of emergency since March 10.

>>>What A Shelter-In-Place Order Would Look Like In MA