Mayor Marty Walsh announced tighter restrictions on COVID-19 enforcement measures in Boston on Thursday.
Walsh said house parties are occurring too frequently and the city is receiving more complaints, specifically in the South Boston area, during his afternoon press conference outside City Hall, WCVB reports. The mayor said individuals attending the parties are putting themselves, their loved ones and the community at risk as cases of COVID-19 continue to rise.
Walsh added stricter enforcement will include visiting businesses to enforce state and city guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic.
"We are discussing efforts to tighten enforcement on gathering limits, restrictions on unpermitted public events and unsanctioned activities in our parks. They're working to help restaurants follow restrictions on table size, distancing and masks. And we'll be conducting spot checks and visits with businesses to ensure regulations are being followed," Walsh said via WCVB.
The mayor asked restaurants and small businesses to reach out to city officials for any guidance necessary, as well as restaurants needing to report incidents of inappropriate gatherings to call 911.
"If you have a house party and you're concerned about it, we ask you, you can call 911 and we will work on making sure that we follow up. If we don't get there immediately, we will be following up with the tenants in the apartment, with the homeowner of the apartment and the overall neighborhood," Walsh said WCVB.
The mayor said he's considering fines as punishment for large gatherings to both tenants and landlords. Walsh added that Boston is currently seeing an increase in COVID-19 cases with an average positive test rate of 4.4%, keeping the city in the "high risk" category on Massachusetts' weekly map of COVID-19 spread.
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