Now that Governor Charlie Baker has moved the state back to Phase 3 Step 2 as of March 1, the Commonwealth will move into Phase 4 of the reopening as of March 22 if the new COVID-19 case numbers continue to go down. Westford Health Director Jeff Stephens sat down with WestfordCAT’s Patty Stocker to explain how the new phases will affect local businesses. “Places like restaurants no longer have capacity guidelines that they have to follow such as 25, 40, or 50 percent,” Stephens said. “What it does mean is that they can make sure that people can sit in their restaurant but 6 feet apart. Whatever there capacity at a 6 foot distance is, is what they’re able to do.”
The move into the new phases will also affect outdoor seating venues, concert halls and theaters, and dance floors at weddings and events. There will still be a 90 minute maximum seating at restaurants and alcohol can only be served with a meal.
Stephens also talks about the declining positive cases in town, the new one-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine, and the emerging COVID-19 variants.
The Westford Health Department can be contacted at 978-692-5509.
