Advertisement COVID-19 Impacts in Massachusetts: Governor Returns Businesses to Phase 3 Step 1 and State Jury Trials Delayed Until January Wednesday, December 9, 2020 Update Highlights: COVID-19 infection rates, case numbers, hospitalizations, and deaths are at or approaching the highs seen in the spring. Governor Baker ordered businesses back to Phase 3 Step 1, restricting some businesses and closing others. Massachusetts state courts delayed the timetable for resuming jury trials until the new year. This and other updates on the Commonwealth’s response are collected on its website and the separate court system site. Massachusetts Reopening Status Order No. 57 reduced the limits on outdoor gatherings from 100 to 50 persons and required outdoor gatherings in excess of 25 to be reported to local boards of health. The order reiterated most of the substance of Order No. 54: