Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh said at a press conference on Wednesday that he has "major concerns" about Boston's tourism industry, and that he expects visitors to stay away "for months, if not a year."
Walsh also warned that the COVID-19 outbreak hasn't yet peaked in Boston, and that there can be no timeline for reopening businesses in the city at this time: "States opening up businesses this weekend are going to do some damage and harm...They're giving people false expectations. False hope is not the way to go right now."
All of Massachusetts is currently under a stay-at-home advisory until 4 May, but which could be extended.
Nearly 50 hotels in Greater Boston are now closed and have furloughed their staffs. And the city has already lost 50 conventions that had been scheduled and are now canceled, with potential for the loss of 90 or more altogether if current conditions continue.