During Governor Charlie Baker's press conference today, he talked about the initial shutdown of Massachusetts restaurants and bars other than takeout/delivery, and what apparently led to the ruling will likely not come as a surprise to many.
During the question-and-answer part of the press conference this afternoon, Baker mentioned that the issuing of the restaurant restrictions came on the heels of the observed behavior of people going to Boston-area dining and drinking spots for St. Patrick's Day celebrations on the weekend before the actual holiday. Governor Baker indicated that it was obvious a number of people were ignoring the guidance that had been put out at the time including social distancing, as on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day, various local restaurants and bars had long lines outside and large crowds inside.
As noted in an earlier article, Baker extended the restaurant shutdown to May 4 this afternoon, with takeout and delivery continuing to be options.
by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
