Boston Lifts Some COVID-19 Restrictions Effective February 1
Given the improvement in the number of COVID-19 cases and the City’s positivity rate, Mayor Martin J. Walsh has announced the City of Boston will lift some restrictions and return to Step One of Phase Three of the Reopening Massachusetts plan on February 1, 2021.
Boston had been in Step One of Phase Three of the Reopening Massachusetts plan since July 6, 2020, before returning to a modified Step Two of Phase Two on December 16, 2020.
Massachusetts has announced an extension of the existing 25 percent capacity limits for most businesses through February 8, 2021. All gatherings and events remain subject to capacity limits of 10 people indoors and 25 people outdoors, and these are applicable to private homes, event venues, and public spaces.
As a result of the return to Step One of Phase Three, the following industries in the City of Boston may reopen on February 1, 2021, at 25 percent capacity:
- Indoor fitness centers and health clubs, including gyms using alternative spaces
- Movie theaters
- Museums
- Aquariums
- Indoor recreational and athletic facilities
- Indoor recreational venues with potential for low contact (e.g., batting cages, driving ranges, bowling alleys, and rock-climbing)
- Sightseeing and other organized tours (e.g., bus tours, duck tours, harbor cruises, and whale watching)
- Indoor historical spaces and sites
- Indoor event spaces such as meeting rooms, ballrooms, private party rooms, and social clubs (limited to 10 people)
- Indoor and outdoor gaming arcades associated with gaming devices
Jackson Lewis attorneys are closely monitoring updates and changes to legal requirements and guidance and are available to help employers weed through the complexities involved with state-specific or multistate-compliant plans.
If you have questions or need assistance, please reach out to the Jackson Lewis attorney with whom you regularly work, or any member of our COVID-19 team.
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