Updated at 1:55 p.m.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced changes to the state's travel advisory Wednesday, following a downward trend in coronavirus cases across the northeast.
"Effective today, July 1, travelers to Massachusetts from the five other New England states, along with New York and New Jersey, will no longer have to self-quarantine for 14 days upon arriving here," he said at a press briefing at the YMCA of Greater Boston. "As we said yesterday, travelers from other states should continue to observe that 14-day quarantine that we've been encouraging and advising since late March, and no one should travel to Massachusetts who's exhibiting COVID-19 symptoms."
On Tuesday, Massachusetts had no recorded COVID deaths, a big milestone for the state as it works to reopen.
But while Baker seemed optimistic, he also cautioned that this is no victory lap and urged people to continue taking precautions to stop the spread. He said the virus won't take the summer off, and residents must continue to stick to guidelines for combatting the virus.
"I talk to governors in other parts of the country that are now dealing with some really significant issues," he said. "One of the things they talk about is compliance with the basic, fundamental public health issues that have been out there with respect to how to manage the spread."
Baker said that by now everyone knows how the virus spreads and what needs to be done to contain it.
"There are a lot of things that, when this thing got started, I felt like we were playing catch up on every single day," he said. "And I think as I've said several times, I hope we all learn the lessons, not just here in Massachusetts, not just in Boston, but across the country and hopefully across the globe about what you need in place as your key elements to battle this as we go forward."
Among other topics raised at the press conference, Baker also addressed new protocols in Major League Baseball, as the Red Sox arrive for training camp Wednesday and pitchers and catchers are set to have their first workout on Friday.
"There aren't going to be fans in the stands. My understanding is they're not going to use the locker rooms," he said. "People are going to come as they do, actually, when they play baseball in many other parts of the world, people are going to show up dressed to play and they're going to leave with their uniform on. And I think a lot of the things that baseball and the other professional sports have been talking about are the kinds of things that are must-dos with respect to getting back in this business."
