Boston Holds Restaurant Table Cap at Six, Defying State's Expanded Seating Rule

Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip9056 · Meeting of July 22, 2026

Boston Mayor Walsh warns of COVID uptick and holds restaurant table cap at six. Speaking at a September 23, 2020 press conference, Mayor Martin J. Walsh reported 63 new COVID-19 cases that day, bringing Boston's total to 16,766, with the seven-day positive test rate at 2.7 percent and hospitalizations nudging upward.

Walsh declined to adopt the state's new guidance allowing up to 10 people per restaurant table, keeping Boston's limit at six, citing higher population density and rising case trends. He announced a partnership with the Boston Red Sox and Major League Baseball to randomly test 5 percent of Boston Teachers Union members weekly — weighted toward high-positivity neighborhoods — ahead of a hybrid school reopening beginning no sooner than October 1 for the highest-need students. The Red Sox, JetBlue, and Boston Pride also donated more than 60,000 reusable masks to Boston Public Schools.

Walsh also opened the press conference by calling for justice in the Breonna Taylor case, saying, "I stand with those who demand justice for Breonna."

In the full story:

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• The complete report — 1,907 words

Source: the Uncategorized 2026-07-22 clip9056 meeting of July 22, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.