Boston Enters Modified Phase 4 Reopening With Stricter Venue Capacity Limits Than State

BOSTON -- July 22, 2026, Boston enters a modified Phase 4, Step 1 COVID reopening on March 22, holding below state capacity limits. Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced that Fenway Park and TD Garden may open at 12 percent capacity, and indoor event venue gathering limits will be capped at 60 people, below the state's 100-person allowance, until Boston's positivity rate falls below 2.75 percent for two consecutive weeks; the current rate stands at 3.5 percent. Walsh also announced that indoor performance venues held back during Phase 3, Step 2 will open at 50 percent capacity up to 500 people, and live music will return to restaurants, excluding indoor singing. Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez told reporters the plateau in case numbers, with two consecutive days above 200 cases, is why the city is "going cautiously forward." Walsh separately announced a doubling of paid parental leave for eligible city employees to 12 weeks, and condemned the Atlanta-area shootings as "racist attacks" targeting Asian women.