Monday morning, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu made a major announcement regarding the city’s COVID-19 protocol.
The city of Boston will now require proof of vaccination for indoor dining, indoor fitness venues, and indoor entertainment and recreation establishments starting January 15, 2022.
A complete list of covered businesses include:
- Indoor dining areas: Indoor portions of foodservice establishments offering food and drink, including restaurants, bars, and all indoor dining areas of foodservice establishments.
- Indoor entertainment, recreational, and event venues: Movie theaters, music or concert venues, commercial events, and party venues, museums and galleries, professional sports arenas and indoor stadiums, convention centers and exhibition halls, performing arts theaters, bowling alleys, and other recreational centers.
- Indoor gyms and fitness settings: Commercial gyms, fitness, yoga/pilates/barre/dance studios, boxing/kickboxing gyms, fitness boot camps, indoor pools, and other facilities used for conducting group fitness classes.
The Boston Public Health Commission’s new guidance seeks to increase vaccination rates among residents and slow the spread of COVID-19 and the new Omicron variant. Boston city leaders released a full timeline for the latest vaccination mandate.
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“Vaccines are the most powerful tool we have to fight this pandemic. Vaccination saves lives, and closing vaccination gaps is the best way to support and protect our communities, businesses, and cultural institutions during this pandemic,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “The vast majority of COVID-related hospitalizations are of unvaccinated individuals, which is impacting our entire healthcare system and compromising the health of our communities. Today’s steps to protect community members in certain indoor establishments and throughout our city workforce will help ensure that everyone in Boston will be safe. City government must take down barriers and direct our resources for easy access to testing and vaccination to protect our city and all of our communities.”
Mayor Wu also confirmed that all Boston city employees must get vaccinated. She added that the city plans to remove the weekly testing option for employees who elected not to get vaccinated.
During the press conference, Mayor Wu was joined by the executive director of the Boston Public Health Commission and the other members of her newly formed COVID-19 Advisory Committee.