BOSTON — At a press conference today, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced that, starting on May 29, all COVID-19 restrictions will come to an end. Noting that the Commonwealth was on track to meet its goal of vaccinating 4.1 million residents by the first week of June, the governor announced that the face cover mandate will be rescinded on May 29. Businesses will no longer be subject to capacity limits and all businesses will be allowed to reopen. More can be read about the new guidance here.
“If you’re fully vaccinated, the data and the guidance from the CDC is pretty clear: You’re very unlikely to transmit it, you’re very unlikely to get COVID,” Baker said.
The governor was quick to note, however, that individual private businesses can still set their own rules and restrictions accordingly, encouraging people to follow them. He also left the door open for some communities to still implement their own restrictions. “They know the facts on the ground in their own communities and they can make their own determinations” Baker said. “We will certainly support them in that.”
It was not made clear how businesses will confirm an individual’s vaccination status.
In his press conference, Baker touted Massachusetts’ high vaccination rate, claiming that 75 percent of all adults have received at least one dose. As of May 16, 3,940,329 people had received at least one dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine, according to the Commonwealth’s COVID vaccine tracker, and 2,970,268 people have thus far received both shots. In total, 3,202,166 people have been fully vaccinated in the Commonwealth.
In some situations masks will still be required, such as in healthcare settings, eldercare facilities, and congregate care facilities, while using public transport and in public transport hubs, and in K-12 schools. The administration did announce, however, that masks will no longer be required for children while at recess outside and that objects can now be shared in K-12 settings.
Also announced at the press conference was updated guidance on mask wearing for youth sports. Starting tomorrow, athletes under 18 will no longer be required to wear a mask while playing sports outside. More guidance was also updated on summer camps. Masks will no longer be required for use while playing outside.
“People took the fact that the vaccine was a big part of our way out of this seriously … rather than relief, what I really feel is gratitude for the way the people of Massachusetts have responded to this,” the governor said.
