City of Cambridge Delays Transition to Step 2 of Phase III for Lower Risk Communities

The City of Cambridge announced that it will delay the City’s advancement to Step 2 of Phase III of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts’s Reopening Plan. The Cambridge Commissioner of Public Health has determined that allowing Step 2 of Phase III of the Reopening Plan to commence in the City of Cambridge on October 5, 2020 will likely contribute to an increase in COVID-19 cases in the city and presents a public health risk for the residents of the city and those of neighboring communities.

“After consulting with the Commissioner of Public Health, Chief Public Health Officer, and the City’s COVID-19 Expert Advisory Panel, we are delaying Cambridge’s advancement to Step 2 Phase III,” said Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui and City Manager Louis A. DePasquale in a joint statement. “Cambridge remains a low-risk community in part because we have taken a more conservative approach to reopening than the Commonwealth. Our priority is to keep our residents safe.”

“Before we advance the City to the next reopening step, we want to look closely at the impact on our current infection rate as residents start spending more time indoors during the fall months and as K-12 schools start reopening to in-person learning,” said Claude A. Jacob, Chief Public Health Officer and director of the Cambridge Public Health Department.

The average number of new infections in Cambridge has remained relatively stable since mid-July, but there has been a small uptick in cases in September compared to August. "We remain concerned about potential droplet or small particle transmission in indoor settings, especially at work places and other indoor sites with poor ventilation.”

As new COVID-19 infections continue to rise in Massachusetts, the City of Cambridge will continue to take a cautious and measured approach to further reopening activities and will continue to closely monitor public health data as part of its decision-making process.

View full text of the Temporary Emergency Order Concerning Gatherings in the City of Cambridge.

View full text of the Temporary Emergency Order Delaying Step 2 of Phase III of Governor Baker’s Reopening Plan in the City of Cambridge.

For more information and to sign up to receive updates on COVID-19, please visit the City’s dedicated information page: https://www.cambridgema.gov/covid19 .