Back in the spring Gov. Charlie Baker said it wasn’t the right time for the state to be talking about implementing a vaccine passport.

 

Yesterday, he suggested that it – almost -- might be time.

 

Appearing on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio,” Baker noted that it's possible to get a vaccine credential from the provider who administered your vaccine.

 

But with about two-thirds of the workforce soon to be impacted by President Biden’s vaccination-or-testing mandate, the governor acknowledged that it would be helpful to have a simple way for residents to prove to employers and others they’ve been vaccinated, writes Nik DeCosta-Klipa at Boston.com.

 

 

The Biden administration released new guidance yesterday about vaccine requirements for federal employees.

 

The new rules require that even those working remotely must be vaccinated.

 

We don't know yet if the same rules will also apply to remote private sector workers at companies with more than 100 employees. 

 

That guidance has yet to be released by OSHA. However that didn’t stop 24 state attorney generals from threatening to sue yesterday over a policy they have yet to see, or FOX News commentators from railing against rules that likely won't be nearly as harsh as those they must follow.

 

Asked how he felt about Biden’s vax-or-test private sector mandate, Gov. Charlie Baker was non-committal.

 

"I'm obviously a big fan of people getting vaccinated and I'm obviously comfortable with employers creating programming for their own people to get vaccinated,” Baker said on GBH.

 

“But we have not seen yet any details on what this looks like," he said.

 

"At this point, it's commenting on a press release and speech, and for something that is as significant, widespread and as complicated as this, I would really like to see how they think this would work, who qualifies, who doesn't, what the rules are and all the rest." (State House News)

 

So would we.

 

 

Biden’s announcement last week the federal government will mandate weekly testing for unvaccinated workers at companies with 100 or more workers sent the market for fake vaccine cards soaring.

 

Thousands of online sellers are claiming to offer near-perfect copies of the cards at prices that have risen sharply, with some now selling a single card for hundreds of dollars, reports NBC.

 

A spokesperson for U.S. Customs and Border Protection said the agency has intercepted thousands of packages of fake cards from China that “we basically stopped keeping track, because there were so many.”

 

On the other hand, vaccine cards are free to anyone who gets the vaccine, which are also free.

 

 

Project: Pop-Up, a really creative initiative designed to activate vacant store fronts in Newton and Needham while also helping launch new retail businesses, has been extended at least through the holiday season.

 

Funded by a grant from the Massachusetts Office of Business Development and facilitated by UpNext (a chamber member), this pilot program has been incubating retailers since early June.

 

Here's the current locations:

 

CBS Boston story here. BBJ story here. And a Globe story from today about why September has become the new holiday shopping season is here.

 
 

 

It’s getting tough again for the hospitality industry.

 

As the Globe reported this week while tourism surged this summer, it wasn’t enough for our hotels.

 

And in our restaurants, sales that had steadily grown earlier in the summer have fallen nationally in the past five weeks, according to the Wall Street Journal.

 

Bars and restaurants lost 41,500 jobs in August, the largest monthly decline of any single sector – the food-service industry’s first monthly decline since December.

 

One in five Americans say they are no longer going out to restaurants, and 9% have canceled existing plans to eat out in recent weeks, according to a national survey of 1,000 adults by the National Restaurant Association last month.

 

And in a study conducted by the Independent Restaurant Coalition, 1 in 5 restaurant owners said their credit scores have dipped below 570 during the pandemic, resulting in many being unable to take on any additional loans.

 
 

 

 

Unless state lawmakers take action, the ability to conduct notarized transactions virtually expires on Dec. 15.

 

Real estate, legal and financial services groups urged lawmakers this week to implement a permanent system similar to the remote online notarization, or RON, that 38 other states have authorized, reports Chris Lisinski at State House News.

 

 

MassHousing has closed on a total of $23.5 million in affordable housing financing to the nonprofit, 2Life Communities, for the expansion of the Golda Meir House in Auburndale. The financing will allow 2Life Communities to construct 68 new rental homes for seniors, including deeply affordable units for very low-income households. 

 

The project will expand the existing 199-unit Golda Meir House, adding 68 new apartment homes in a new seven-story building addition and a new five-story building addition that will both connect to the existing main building. Construction is expected to be completed in 2023. (Boston Real Estate Times)

 

A few more need to knows
 

 

 

For years, the Hotel Indigo pool deck was the scene of one of the chamber’s most popular annual networking events. You likely have other memories from time spent there. 

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And now you can own one of closed-hotel’s pool side cabanas; a booth from BOKX 109; or other pieces of the Indigo and its restaurant which has been closed to make way for Mark Development’s Riverside Station project.

 

Julie Cohen at the Tab has more, auction items are listed here.

 

And that’s today’s need to knows, unless you need to know how you can earn $1,300 for watching 13 horror movies in October.

 

That's all folks, have a good weekend. Be back Tuesday.

 

President & CEO

617.244.1688

 

P.S Nicki Minaj, call the White House.