Indoor venues in Charlestown like restaurants, bars and gyms began adjusting to Mayor Michelle Wu’s new mandate that requires workers and patrons at all indoor venues to show proof of vaccination in order to bend the curve of the latest COVID-19 surge.
The “B Together” mandate officially went into effect Saturday across Boston with Mayor Wu saying the best way for Boston to stay healthy and support communities, businesses, and cultural institutions is for more people to get vaccinated and the B Together policy helps the city do just that.
On Saturday, people were required to show proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter certain indoor spaces in Boston that offer iIndoor dining like bars and nightclubs, indoor fitness establishments and Indoor entertainment establishments. Employees working in those spaces are also required to now be vaccinated. Covered businesses are responsible for checking proof of vaccination and posting a notice about the COVID-19 vaccine requirement at their entrance.
Rep. Dan Ryan said he dined out over the weekend at Monument Restaurant and Tavern on Main Street in Charlestown. Ryan reported no issues with the process of showing a vaccine card nor any issues among loyal patrons of the restaurant.
“As required by the City of Boston, starting Saturday guests must show proof of covid vaccination to enjoy food and drink inside,” said Monument Restaurant and Tavern in a statement. “Show us a CDC vax card, a picture of your card, a picture of a vax record or have it ready on any of the apps available to provide verification. Flash it to our amazing staff when you sit down or belly up to the bar and we’ll be good to go.”
The statement continued, “We’re just out here, trying to have fun while providing food, drinks, and hospitality to our guests – please make it easier for us by being kind and cooperative to our staff. So much has been required of restaurants over the past two years- much of which we never thought we’d be asked to do. The one thing that hasn’t changed is our love for our community and as always, we can’t wait to serve you today and every day.”
However, some indoor venue owners have reported receiving hate mail and angry voicemail messages for following the city’s new guidelines. These owners feel they are being targeted not by loyal patrons but by an outside group of agitators that are against vaccine mandates in any shape or form. A group of anti-vaccers also staked out Mayor Wu’s home the other morning and shouted insults from the street calling the Mayor a ‘facisits’ for implementing the B Together initiative.
Wu stood her ground Saturday when kicking off the new mandate.
“Today’s launch of our B Together policy means that we are taking important steps on the policy side to close (vaccination rate) gaps and continue protections for our workforce and for our residents,” said Wu. “I continue to hear from our partners in health care and in our health institutions, that the ongoing strain on our health care system overall is still being driven by gaps in vaccination rates. We are seeing the need to push back even more surgeries because of COVID. Unvaccinated patients who are suffering from severe illness because of COVID are squeezing out the capacity for needed procedures and other health treatments. Every bit of delay is creating ripple effects later on for all of us. We all need a healthy and accessible healthcare system and that is very much tied up with preventable instances of severe illness and hospitalization due to gaps in COVID-19 vaccination rates. Our policy is meant to be a strong support for our healthcare system and for residents at large.”