Brookline Eyes Further Restrictions Amid Coronavirus Surge

BROOKLINE, MA — Brookline officials are set to discuss whether the town should join the likes of neighboring Newton and Boston and roll back reopening plans to Phase 2, Step 2 amid warnings that the United States has entered a record-breaking period of high-level spread of the coronavirus.

The Brookline Select Board will discuss the possibility Tuesday night, according to Town Administrator Mel Kleckner.

Several Boston-area municipal leaders have announced restrictions that go further than the restrictions Gov. Charlie Baker instituted this week. While restrictions begin Wednesday for Somerville and Boston, Newton plans to start Friday. All plan to have the restrictions, which will mainly affect gyms, bars and indoor recreational facilities, in place for at least three weeks.

Related: Newton-Wellesley Hospital To Receive COVID-19 Vaccine Tuesday

Indoor dining will be able to continue during the step back, but bar seating will be restricted in addition to the 90-minute time limit per table Baker announced.

Rolling back restrictions is not necessarily a given in Brookline.

Brookline Select Board co-chair Heather Hamilton said she expected the board would take into serious consideration what Brookline Health Commissioner Swanni Jett advises.

"Our numbers are low, our mask rate is great, and forcing the closure of businesses on the brink is not an easy decision," Hamilton said.

Select Board chair Bernard Greene agreed.

"It would be better if the governor would provide some uniform guidance on this," he said. "So Brookline is not forced to respond to what Boston does, because our situation is different."

Since the Thanksgiving holiday, there has been a surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations across the state. As of Dec. 14, some 942 people in Brookline have tested positive for the virus. Of those, 73 people have died.

Across the border in Boston that number is significantly higher with 33,323 cases and 954 deaths.

"Unfortunately, we are at the point where we need to take stronger action to control COVID-19 in Boston, and urgently, to ensure our health care workers have the capacity to care for everyone in need," said Boston Mayor Marty Walsh Monday. "We are hopeful that by reducing opportunities for transmission throughout the region, we will reduce the spread of this deadly virus and maintain our ability to keep critical services open."

Walsh implored people to follow public health guidelines and asked employers to allow employees to work from home as much as possible.

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.