Ready or not, here we go.

 

Our long-awaited return to pretty much everything is one dozen days away.

 

Gov. Charlie Baker announced yesterday that the date for a full reopening of the state’s economy would be moved up by two months. Effective Saturday May 29 all restrictions will be lifted. Everything.

   

Plexiglass can come down. Bars reopen. Concerts resume. Spas too. In-person Zumba. “Sweet Caroline” sung by 37,731 fans (just please not by the players, more on that below). Ball pits. Mosh pits.

 

Is this what it feels like to be a cicada?

 

A few weeks after that, unless the Legislature acts, to-go cocktails will be forbidden again. So will getting documents notarized remotely and all those municipal meetings with electeds using curious Zoom backgrounds.

 

The state’s face covering order will also be rescinded May 29 to be replaced by an advisory consistent with the CDC’s updated guidance. 

 

Masks will still be required on public and private transportation systems (including rideshares, taxi, the MBTA, commuter rail and at transit stations), in healthcare facilities and in other settings hosting vulnerable populations, such as congregate care settings.

 

 

You're not alone if this makes you nervous. I am.

 

Businesses are encouraged to “make decisions about what they think makes the most sense for their employees and their customers” in regards to face coverings, mandatory vaccines or other restrictions, Baker said.

 

“....and we should all be respectful of that,” he added.

 

Many major retailers have already updated their mask policy. I’d be interested in knowing what your business is planning.

 

 

The governor's other big announcement -- that his State of Emergency will be rescinded effective June 15 – creates some new challenges, particularly for restaurants.

 

To-go cocktail sales and the 15 percent cap on third-party delivery services (like Grubhub and DoorDash) expire shortly after the State of Emergency expires. Both of these items -- plus relaxed outdoor dining permitting rules -- made a difference for some restaurants who still have a long way to go towards recovery.

 

Other items that would eventually expire under Baker’s emergency order (according to Katie Lannan at State House News) include:

 

That gives advocates pushing for any extensions of those and other relief measures less than a month to talk lawmakers into extending some of the executive orders.

 

And we all know that our Legislature loves waiting until the last minute.

 

Two bills now before the state Senate (SD 2556, S 196) would extend the delivery-fee cap and the takeout cocktail authorization beyond the end of the state of emergency. 

 

A different proposed budget amendment would require that business interruption insurance cover COVID-related losses for businesses with up to 50 employees, a loophole in the policies that infuriated many business owners.

 

 

 

One thing that isn’t going away May 29 is the need for testing.

 

That’s according to a guy who should know; Tim Rowe at CIC Health, the company that has been overseeing many COVID testing and vaccine clinics in Massachusetts, including the testing site at the Riverside T stop in Newton.

 

In an interview with Shira Schoenberg at The Codcast. Rowe notes that it could be four years until the world reaches herd immunity, which means there is the possibility of new virus strains -- he calls it "storming COVID" -- developing in other countries and migrating to the US.

 

 “So if you are a policymaker making a plan for the fall and you want kids in school and you want to get us back to something like the economy that we had prior to the pandemic, you probably want to have in place a system that you know is going to work to track is there disease spreading?”

 

  

Within hours of the governor’s announcement the Red Sox announced plans to reopen Fenway Park at full capacity.

 

“We are excited [to] see Boston's vibrancy restored and get back to the full energy of our ballpark and the Fenway neighborhood in the weeks ahead,” Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy gushed in a statement.

 

But team ownership should be less excited about a report in the Globe last week saying (at least as of May 12) the Sox players will likely be one of the last MLB teams to be fully vaccinated.

 

Globe reporter Peter Abraham details some cultural reasons players may have vaccine hesitancy. But none of that explains why most other teams – including the Yankees – are ahead of them.

 

Embarrassing for a state that’s a leader in vaccinations nationally.

 

 

 

Finally, this morning, I’d like to leave you with some comments made at the governor's press conference yesterday by Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy.

 

Kennealy led the economic reopening advisory group with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and I thought his remarks nicely summed up this moment, where we’ve been and where we're going.

 

Here's part of what Kennealy said:

 

“Since the beginning of this emergency, we have spoken from this podium many times about shared responsibility. The people of this great state have responded in incredible ways to stop the spread, and to keep our economy moving toward recovery, and our efforts, together, have now put us on the brink of a return to normal.

 

“I want to thank the businesses of the Commonwealth - with your customers and your workers front of mind, you persevered, you sacrificed, you kept people safe, and you got creative— through four New England seasons and two virus surges.

 

“We have now reached a point in this fight where we can fully reopen and transition into the 'new normal' – and I’m so excited and pleased about what this means for the diverse collection of small businesses that remain the lifeblood of our cities and towns. 

 

“I also want to thank our residents who followed safety protocols and who have been patient with their favorite stores and restaurants as they did their best to strike a balance between serving their customers and keeping everybody safe.

 

“You have dined outdoors and ordered takeout, purchased gift cards, and made appointments when before you were used to just walking in the door.

 

“And because of all of your support, these businesses are now seeing the other side of the pandemic, and will be there for us going forward as we regain the lives we had before.

 

“We’re announcing this reopening milestone 12 days in advance to give our small businesses and our communities time to plan for a return to normal, to make adjustments to their physical spaces, and to modify their staffing levels.

 

“Kindness, understanding and respect will go a long way in these coming weeks.

 

Though masks and face coverings will, in most situations, be optional for those who are fully vaccinated, there will be business owners who will still choose to require them.

 

“That is okay.

 

“Just as many residents will continue to wear masks on a go forward basis, some restaurants, stores, and venues will continue to ask you to do so at their place of business. Let’s all pledge to respect each other’s right to get back to normal at our own pace, and in our own way.

 

“The last weekend in May historically kicks off the summer season. This year, let’s use this time to get reacquainted with all that our state has to offer for dining, shopping, visiting and staying.

 

"Our business owners will be so happy to see you."

                                                                                                    

And that’s today’s Need to Knows -- unless you need to know where you can eat pizza with a spoon. Lots more to share tomorrow.

 

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