Opening Day at Fenway Park is not far away, and it now looks like there will be some baseball fans in the stands to witness.
Governor Charlie Baker announced on Thursday that the state will reopen major facilities on March 22, including the arenas where Boston’s professional sports teams play: Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium and TD Garden.
The reopening takes place while the state plans to move to Phase 4, Step 1 of the plan outlined last spring at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic, as long as the data continues to show a positive downward trend.
“The opening day is in our near future,” Lt. Governor Karyn Polito said at a news conference on Thursday.
Applies to locations that can accommodate more than 5,000 people. They must operate at 12% of capacity and must submit a plan to the state department of public health on the precautions being implemented.
The announcement came at the time when Baker also lifted restrictions on many other companies, which will be able to operate at 50% capacity (up from 40% now) as of Monday, when the state moves to Phase 3, Step 2.
The decision, which reflects a steady decline in COVID-19 rates in the state in recent weeks, follows the decision by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo to reopen these locations in his state this month, with a capacity limit of 10 per cent. percent in arenas and stadiums.
Red Sox opens the season at Fenway Park on April 1 against Orioles. The Celtics’ first home game after March 22 will be on the 29th, against Pelicans. The Bruins are scheduled to face the Islanders on March 23 at TD Garden. The Revolution’s regular season schedule has yet to be released.
What has yet to be resolved, Baker said on Thursday, is how the teams will play in places that also host vaccination sites. Fenway and Gillette were the first mass vaccination posts opened in the state.
“They are important players in this vaccine effort,” he said. “Let’s try to find that out.”
Baker has kept the large arenas that host the region’s most popular teams closed and has maintained strict control over the capacity for events of all sizes since the pandemic hit Massachusetts last March.
Jon Chesto can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @jonchesto. Katie McInerney can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter at @ k8tmac. Michael Silverman can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter: @MikeSilvermanBB.