State officials are warning people not to assume May 18 will be a magical date when things snap back to normal.
Massachusetts on Monday reported 86 additional deaths from the coronavirus outbreak, as the total number of cases in the state rose by 1,000.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported that 4,090 people have now died and 69,087 have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
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Monday's figures represent a sharp decline from a day earlier, when the state recorded nearly twice as many deaths and 800 more cases. But the total number of tests reported Sunday was over 16,000, compared to just 9,622 on Monday.
Still, the percentage of positive tests dropped from 12% to 10% on Monday, and the rate of patients hospitalized remained steady at 5%, both positive indicators of a downward trend cited by Gov. Charlie Baker earlier in the day.
The number of people in intensive care units stayed just about level at 908. There are 3,539 people in the hospital with COVID-19, a slight decrease from the number reported Sunday.
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While Middlesex County has the most deaths in Massachusetts, with 997, Hampden County has its highest death rate, 86 per 100,000 residents. That's followed by Norfolk (78 per 100,000), Suffolk (73 per 100,000) and Essex and Plymouth (64 per 100,000) counties.
Middlesex County continues to have the most coronavirus cases, with 15,757, followed by Suffolk at 13,941, Essex at 9,773 and Worcester at 6,471. But Suffolk County leads the way in terms of cases per capita, with 1,716 cases per 100,000 residents.
Long-term care facilities in Massachusetts have accounted for over 60% of all coronavirus-related deaths in the state, one of the highest publicly reported rates in the country.
Earlier Monday, Baker said his newly-formed Reopening Advisory Board made substantial progress over the weekend and has spoken with 23 different industry groups representing over 100,000 businesses and 1.4 million workers across the state. These include retail, high tech, life sciences, restaurant, travel, tourism and lodging, banking, construction and recreation.
The advisory board's report is due to the governor on May 18 and will include guidelines on reopening the state's economy in phases. Baker said only those industries that can implement the appropriate health and social distancing guidance will be allowed to open in the first phase.
"There won't be anyone firing a starting gun on May 18th and saying, 'Everyone's off to the races,'" he said.
