An Infectious Disease Expert's Perspective As Mass. Enters Phase Two Of Reopening

Life in Massachusetts starts to look a little more normal today. For the first time in three months, shops and other businesses can open their doors to customers, restaurants can reopen for outside seating only, and playgrounds will open for children.

But even though the seven-day average of positive coronavirus tests has declined by 83% in the last month — and continues to trend downward — the state is still averaging hundreds of new cases every day.

Dr. David Hamer is a professor of global health and medicine at Boston University, and an infectious disease specialist at Boston Medical Center. He joined WBUR's Morning Edition to give us some perspective on the risks inherent in the governor's second phase of reopening the economy.