Boston institutes COVID vaccine mandate for leisure-related indoor spaces 

THE CITY OF BOSTON  is instituting a vaccine requirement for entry into leisure-related indoor spaces, including restaurants, gyms, and entertainment venues. 

“This is just one step in an aggressive approach the city is working hard to implement,” Mayor Michelle Wu said at a press conference Monday. “Given where we are this moment, it’s absolutely a necessary one.” 

Wu’s press conference was held inside the large open space inside the entrance to City Hall, and she had to deal with a lot of noise coming from a group of about 70 protesters. The protesters originally gathered outside, waving American flags and signs, and then moved inside, congregating near the metal detectors. It set up a situation where Wu held her press conference on the third level while the protesters were down three flights of stairs, singing  the Star Spangled Banner, blowing whistles, and chanting “Shame on Wu,” “People die, Mayor Wu lies,” and “USA” using megaphones.

“Welcome to the people’s building,” Wu said as the noise level increased.

The mayor was joined by a large group of officials from neighboring communities who said they will likely follow her lead. The officials didn’t mention Gov. Charlie Baker by name, but several, including Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, said they were responding to rising COVID case counts because the state had failed to act.

“For too many months and years, our businesses have been forced to act on their own,” Wu said. “Many already implemented proof of vaccination independently, taking that burden on their shoulders. Now we’re setting clear standards to provide straightforward guidance and ease that burden.” 

A vaccine will be required for entry into indoor dining venues, including restaurants, bars, and nightclubs. It will apply to indoor fitness centers and indoor entertainment venues, including sports venues and theaters. It will also apply to all employees of those venues.

The requirement will go into effect on January 15, at which time anyone age 12 and over will be required to show proof of one shot to enter one of these venues. By February 15, someone will have to prove they have received their second shot, if they got one of the two-dose mRNA vaccines. 

Wu said the city is working on establishing a requirement for children ages 5 to 11, who will be required to show proof of one dose by March 1 and two doses by May 1. Currently, COVID vaccines are approved for children ages five and up. 

People will be able to prove vaccination by showing their vaccine card, a picture of their card, or verification on a digital app.  

While a number of private businesses, including many major entertainment venues and museums, have already instituted vaccine requirements, Boston is the first city in Massachusetts to institute a municipal-level requirement for entrance into these spaces. 

Wu also announced that city workers will need to be vaccinated along the same timeline, eliminating the current policy that provides the option for  unvaccinated individuals to get tested weekly. The city’s workforce is already more than 90 percent vaccinated under the existing policy.

Officials in Salem, Somerville, Arlington, Cambridge, Medford and Brookline said Monday that their communities would be considering entrance requirements at public venues, although the policies will still have to be debated and passed by each community’s regulatory agency.

Outgoing Somerville Mayor  Curtatone declared, “It is the unvaccinated that are killing us right now.”

Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll said while 70 percent of her community is vaccinated, only half of young adults are, and hospitals today “have no wiggle room.” “To keep our businesses open, keep our communities safe, ensure our kids can stay in school, we need to act collectively,” Driscoll said. A vaccine requirement, she said, “is a small price to pay” and “a tool in our toolbox” to keep communities “safe, strong, and open.”

Marc Draisen, executive director of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, countered the claims of protesters who said Wu’s new policy effectively deprived them of their right to choose whether to Gert a vaccine or not. “These are not hard things to do,” Draisen said. “These are not un-American things to do.”

Nationally, New York City instituted a similar mandate in August, requiring everyone 12 and up to show proof of vaccination for entrance into gyms, restaurants, and entertainment venues. 

The protesters at Boston City Hall appeared to be there for multiple reasons. Some opposed the vaccine mandate policy for city workers while others opposed the new entrance requirement at certain venues as another infringement on their personal freedom. Many of the protesters said they were not from Boston and declined to identify themselves.

Republican candidate for governor Geoff Diehl was seen standing with the protesters, and his campaign later put out a statement opposing Wu’s new policy. “These mandates are clear violations of the civil rights of anyone who lives in, works in, or travels to the city, and will make it even more difficult for Boston’s economy to recover from the pandemic,” his statement said.

Shana Cottone, a leader of a group called Boston First Responders United,  said Wu’s administration recently signed a memorandum of understanding with city workers that allowed workers to bypass getting  vaccinated as long as they are tested frequently. She said the mayor’s quick reversal was disappointing and showed she can’t be trusted to stick by her word.