COVID

Watch: Charlie Baker holds coronavirus press conference Friday

The governor is scheduled to speak at 1 p.m.

Gov. Charlie Baker during a press conference Wednesday at the Massachusetts State House in Boston. Nancy Lane / Pool

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker is expected to hold a press conference Friday afternoon to provide an update on the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to his office, Baker will speak alongside Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders at 1 p.m. at the State House.

Massachusetts reported 4,985 new COVID-19 infections and 44 deaths due to the disease on Thursday, as the number of coronavirus hospitalizations in the state continues to rise. Amid the national surge in cases this fall, the positive test rate in Massachusetts has recently settled around 6 percent, which is three times as high as what it was at the beginning of November.

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Last week, Baker announced that the entire state would roll back to the first step of Phase 3 of the administration’s reopening plan, along with tightened restrictions for restaurants and other indoor spaces.

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