BIG NEWS: At Long Last Massachusetts Will Officially Reopen May 29th!

ABC Boston - All remaining COVID-19 restrictions and capacity limits will be lifted effective May 29, and fully vaccinated people will no longer be required to wear masks in most settings, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Monday.

All industry restrictions will be lifted, and capacity will increase to 100% for all industries. The gathering limit will also be rescinded, Baker said.

The Department of Public Health issued a new face-covering advisory consistent with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidance. Fully vaccinated people will be able to go mask-free indoors. Non-vaccinated people will still be advised to wear face masks and social distance in most situations.

Face coverings will still be mandatory for all individuals on public and private transportation systems (including rideshares, livery, taxi, ferries, MBTA, Commuter Rail and transportation stations), in healthcare facilities and in other settings hosting vulnerable populations, such as congregate care settings, Baker said.

The State of Emergency in Massachusetts will also end on June 15.

“Today Massachusetts leads the nation in vaccinations, and we are on track to meet the goal that we set for ourselves back in December,” Baker said.

Seventy-five percent of adults in Massachusetts have received at least one dose of the vaccine. To date, more than 4 million residents have received a first dose, with 3.2 million fully vaccinated, Baker said.

This is incredible news for a few reasons. Most importantly, it means people can get back to working, learning, and living life. 

I've been observing from afar out in Chicago, and as bad as we've had it here with lockdowns, it's been so much worse in Massachusetts this past year. The few times I've been back to visit it's been shocking at how dead everything has been and how strict the restrictions have been. Talking to my friends that run really small businesses, and big small businesses like Big Night Entertainment Group, and hearing how brutal it's been trying to "operate" under these restrictions has been an absolute joke.

So news that things will be back to 100% come Memorial Day is reason to celebrate. And knowing Boston, celebrate they will. I'm envisioning a Marathon Monday x Parade Day type party on the 29th. 

People in Mass have been locked down as hard as anybody in the world, definitely the country, since this began. Despite being the most vaccinated state in the country! So the citizens deserve to get their lives and livelihoods back in time for the summer.

The only downside to this, and it's a big one, is that this gives businesses basically zero lead time to get ready for the 29th. It's virtually impossible to hire anybody right now because many people are making more money not working right now, and for the people who are looking to work, getting them interviewed, hired, and trained in two weeks before the floodgates open is a lot harder than most people will understand. 

So go easy on places when you visit them the first few weeks. Everybody will be ironing out kinks and getting the rust off. But go out and give them your business, and tip well. They desperately need it.