WATCH: Baker Announces Some Restaurant Employees Can Return To Work Monday To Prep For Reopening

Gov. Charlie Baker announced Friday that in preparation for reopening restaurants and other commercial businesses, companies will be allowed to begin bringing back some workers on Monday, though they cannot yet open for business.

Baker said the second phase of reopening — including the resumption of some eat-in restaurant service — will not begin until June 8, and he will release a new executive order Monday providing more details of which busineses will be able to reopen in each of the four phases of his plan.

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Baker did say his Monday order will allow professional sports teams to resume practice in their training facilities, though they will remain closed to the public.

The administration is releasing detailed guidelines for the first steps of restaurant reopening, beginning first with outdoor dining. Restaurants will be required to space tables six feet apart, and seating at bars will not be allowed. As indoor dining begins to phase in, restaurants will have to operate under detailed rules for social distancing and sanitizing, and will still be urged to emphasize outdoor table service. The maximum party size at any one table wil be six people.

The state has been working on plans to allow more outdoor seating for restaurants, including taking over some traffic lanes to convert them to bike and pedestrian lanes so restaurants can have more room on the sidewalks. Baker also said Friday it is likely “you are going to see a lot of parking lots and other open spaces convert” to seating for restaurants.

Baker has said in the past that each of the phases of his reopening plan will last at least three weeks. He said on Friday that he will have a team tracking health data next week, so that he can announce on June 6 when the second phase of reopening can begin.

The state has also released new guidelines for hotels and other lodgings, which will be allowed to expand their operations in Phase Two of the reopening plan, though event spaces like ballrooms and meeting rooms cannot reopen.