Mayor Marty Walsh says there's no immediate plans for a shelter-in-place order yet.

Walsh says there's no immediate plans for a shelter-in-place order in Boston.

Walsh says there's no immediate plans for a shelter-in-place order in Boston. Share

Amid rumors that a shelter-in-place order was being considered locally, Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh emphasized Wednesday that the city currently has no plans to issue such an order, but acknowledged it could still be a “realistic” option.

Walsh noted that he was aware that New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio told residents to prepare for the possibility of a shelter-in-place order in coming days. (Worth noting: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has said the state would have to approve such an order, and he has no interest in doing so.)

However, Walsh said, “the governor and myself and other elected officials in Massachusetts have not suggested that yet.”


Asked what would prompt such an order, Walsh replied, “I don’t think it’s a question of how bad it gets, I think it’s a question of when is the right time, if it has to be done. I think there’s a lot that has to come into play there.”

Still, Walsh acknowledged, “I’m not saying that would never be a potential option. I think it could be very realistic that it could be an option.”

Walsh said he is watching other orders issued in places like the Bay Area and Italy, and noted that any local decision would be based on “watching the data and where the curve is and where we’re going.”

“We could be standing here in four hours, having a very different conversation. Literally that seems to be what’s happening with this,” he said.

Walsh also said he was planning to call de Blasio to find out more about what led the New York City mayor to his thinking, saying that the pair — as well as Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan — were “learning from each other and sharing best practices” as the pandemic progresses.


Walsh also said he had concerns about giving residents a multiple-day warning that such an order was coming, as de Blasio apparently did: “My concern in that particular case is as people are out and about getting food and stuff for their house, what kind of potential spread is happening there,” he said.

In the Bay Area order, which includes the city of San Francisco, the order required residents to stay inside and venture out only for necessities for three weeks. The order there went into effect Tuesday.

“The most important thing you can do is remain home as much as possible,” San Francisco Mayor London Breed posted on Twitter. “There is no need to rush out for food or supplies, as these stores will remain open.”

A Q&A from the city of San Francisco notes that not complying with the order is a misdemeanor crime — “although the intent is not for anyone to get into trouble.”

In Boston, Walsh said the response to the coronavirus outbreak is “a very fluid situation every day.”

“Obviously, if situations change, we will update the public and let them know,” Walsh said. “As of right now, that is not a situation that I think we can talk about.”

Martin Finucane of the Globe staff contributed to this report.

Jaclyn Reiss can be reached at jaclyn.reiss@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter: @JaclynReiss