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With New Year’s Eve warnings, Mass. officials say ‘good riddance to 2020’

As they have done for other major holidays, Gov. Charlie Baker and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders on Wednesday urged people to keep their New Year’s Eve celebrations small and in line with public health precautions.

RELATED: Baker: Mass. still on track to get 300,000 vaccine doses by Thursday

They also offered their own stark farewells to a difficult year.

“As we’re approaching New Year’s to close out 2020 — finally,” Baker said, raising his voice and banging the podium he stood behind, “we’re again urging everyone, if they can, to stay home. Please don’t host big New Year’s gatherings at your own home, and do try to spend the time with people you live with.”

Any celebrations should be brief, outside, and with masks, he said.

With more than 12,000 deaths from confirmed COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts, businesses shuttering and struggling, and widespread anxiety and isolation, Baker said that “based on the way I believe this virus has upended and disrupted a lot of what most people consider to be most precious,” this year has “got to be one of the worst, certainly one of the worst ever.”

Wrapping up her remarks at Wednesday’s press conference, Sudders said, “If I do not see you before the holiday, I’m sure all of us will say good riddance to 2020. Please be safe, practice bubble fidelity, celebrate small and see you in 2021.”


from Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
Source: https://ift.tt/34Z8M9X

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