Who's that (un)masked man?
Who's that (un)masked man?
Imagine working alongside someone for a year without ever having seen the bottom of his or her face.
Then, one day, the masks come off and you think, ‘Huh, that’s not what I expected.’”
Just as we once needed to adjust to seeing everyone dressed as if they were about to rob a stagecoach, being surprised by what’s under that mask is a thing, writes Jennifer Levitz for the Wall Street Journal.
Co-workers have made assumptions about the features under those masks, and they’re often off by more than a whisker, she adds.
But when, and where, should we go face naked?
This is happening, of course, because last week the CDC announced that fully vaccinated Americans can shed masks in most situations.
Then on Monday, Gov. Charlie Baker said he would revoke the state’s mask mandate, effective May 29, and adopt an advisory that conforms to the CDC.
Baker also said 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.
That leaves businesses in the awkward position of having to make and enforce what will inevitably be a hodgepodge of policies.
Thanks a bunch guv.
I say that, fully acknowledging that I’d be criticizing Baker even more if he tried telling businesses precisely what to do, particularly if it wasn’t driven by CDC guidelines and, well, science.
"There is NO science/medicine that supports keeping masks (or frequently washing hands/surfaces for that matter) in companies where people are vaccinated,” writes the founder of a local life science company who a long list of medical credentials.
“It is an assault on rationality that rather than being firm about the evidence, we cave catering to people’s emotional states,” he adds.
All true.
But if only our economy is rational, right Mr. Greenspan?
So much that drives business success depends on "people's emotional states." Not all of our customers, employees, or even owners, are ready to jump into the post-COVID world feet, or face, first.
Heck, not even the the staff of Scientific American can come to a consensus on masks.
And then there’s an array of trust issues.
Even the governor said this week -- joking, we hope -- that "COVID is a little bit like, you know, Michael Myers," referring to the "Halloween" series character who kept coming back after seeming to have been vanquished.
So yes, the changing mask guidelines caught many businesses by surprise, leaving them scrambling to formulate -- and enforce -- their own mask policies. (Oregon is taking a different approach.)
Mandatory vaccines policies may prove even trickier.
No matter what decision our businesses and nonprofits make, they likely risk alienating some workers and customers -- potentially leading to employee turnover or lost sales.
And fear of losing customers or employees is based firmly on rationality.
Fur won't fly in Wellesley
The Attorney General’s office has approved an amendment to Wellesley Town Bylaws that bans the sale of new fur products in Wellesley come the fall.
Town Meeting endorsed the ban 140-64, with 2 abstentions.
PPP pays for Minnesota orange groves
Hundreds of PPP awards went to businesses, primarily farms, that didn’t exist, reports ProPublica.
ProPublica found 378 small loans totaling $7 million made to fake business entities, even in the unlikeliest of locales from, get this, potato fields in Palm Beach to orange groves in Minnesota.
All of the loans to nonexistent businesses came through Kabbage, an online lending platform that processed nearly 300,000 PPP loans before the first round of funds ran out in August 2020, second only to Bank of America.
Last call for restaurant relief program
The SBA will stop accepting applications for direct aid to restaurants from the Restaurant Revitalization Fund after 8 p.m. this coming Monday, May 24.
The agency has already received more than 303,000 applications requesting over $69 billion for the $28.6 billion program.
Even though that seems like impossible odds for any food service business that has yet to apply, there’s always the chance that Congress will provide added funds, just as it did last year when the PPP well ran dry. So apply.
Fore sure… there will be golf
Each year, the chamber’s golf committee selects a different local nonprofit whose mission includes working with children to be the recipient of a portion of the proceeds from our Annual Children’s Charitable Golf Tournament.
This year, they've selected Hope & Comfort, an amazing Needham-based nonprofit that provides essential hygiene products to support and improve the health, self-esteem, and hygiene education of school-aged children and young adults in need within Greater Boston.
The choice is notable because of the extraordinary work Hope & Comfort is doing to combat hygiene insecurity in youth throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
The event is also notable for us since its our 30th annual tournament and, well, any events this year seems notable. We’re also holding the tournament for the first time at Wellesley Country Club, which seems fitting given our recent expansion into Wellesley.
Alas, the Aug. 2 event is sold out but we are maintaining a waitlist here.
You can also be visible at the event, even if you’re not playing by purchasing a tee sign for your company, starting at $175.
Thanks to The Village Bank for once again returning as the tournament's presenting sponsor.
Pay attention to this COBRA rule change
Massachusetts businesses with as few as two employees face notification requirements and updated eligibility requirements for subsidized COBRA premiums under the American Rescue Plan.
Even if your former employees were previously denied COBRA coverage, they may become re-eligible and you are required by law to notify them by May 31.
If you are unsure about the requirements or need a checklist to make sure you are in compliance (as well as potential tax benefits that may come with it) watch our webinar recorded yesterday with chamber member Julyane Lazar of Foley & Foley P.C.
What’s really panicking our restaurants
Gov. Baker issued more than 60 orders, plus various amendments, since he announced the state of emergency in March 2020.
The long list includes rules that allow local government meetings to happen by Zoom; permitted notaries to close business transitions remotely; and rules requiring health insurers to pay the same rate for rates for many virtual or in-person medical visits, reports Matt Stout at the Globe.
Those and other orders expire June 15, or shortly thereafter, unless the Legislature acts.
Restaurant operators are worried about the fate of three of those orders, including the 15 percent cap on third party delivery apps and to-go cocktails.
And while the Globe devotes an editorial today to saving takeout cocktails, nothing has restaurateurs on edge more than the possible expiration of outdoor dining on Aug. 15 (60 days after that order expires).
"Sixty days is not going to correct a year and a half of all of the horrible things that have happened to our industry and businesses in general," Chris Glionna, managing partner of Aquitaine told WCVB. "To say nothing of the money that we put into [outdoor setups]."
State Sen. Nick Collins has offered a budget amendment that would empower municipalities to continue expanded outdoor-dining for a full year after the state of emergency is lifted.
The amendment will be debated next week during the Senate’s annual budget debate.
Also pending are separate amendments from Sen. Diana DiZoglio to extend the third-party app cap and to-go drinks for two years.
That’s today’s Need to Knows, ten days before the state's economy reopens, unless, you also need to know about the Beacon Hill boot scraper scofflaw.
President, Newton-Needham Regional Chamber
617-244-1688
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