Boston To Require Vaccination Proof For Some Indoor Spaces: Wu

BOSTON — Proof of vaccination will be required to enter certain indoor spaces in Boston, including restaurants, gyms, nightclubs and theaters, beginning Jan. 15.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced the upcoming changes at Boston City Hall Monday morning while addressing concerns around the growing coronavirus case numbers.

"Businesses have been forced to take action on their own," Wu said. "Many have already implemented proof of vaccination independently, taking on that burden on their own shoulders along with so much else from the pandemic."

Wu said the city will launch the "B Together" initiative, requiring all residents ages 12 and up to show proof of vaccination of at least one dose to enter certain public spaces around the city.

Children have until March to get vaccinated for entry into some indoor spaces.

The "B Together" initiative will be broken into three categories: bars and restaurants, indoor gyms, theaters, nightclubs and sports games, Wu said.

"We're also setting dates for children to be vaccinated to enter these spaces beginning in March."

In addition, Wu said all Boston employees must have at least one dose of the vaccine by January 15, and they will be removing the weekly testing option. People will need two doses by February 15.

Starting Tuesday, there will be webinars available for small businesses to understand and help support the implementation of these new requirements.

Acceptable forms of proof will include a CDC vaccination card, a digital image of the card, an image of another official immunization record or a COVID vaccine verification app.

"The unvaccinated are killing us," said Somerville Mayor Joe Curatone in response to Wu's Monday morning announcement.

Shortly after starting her announcement, dozens of protestors entered the main lobby of Boston City Hall, chanting, "Shame on Wu," in response to the new mandate.

Massachusetts reported its highest weekly average death rate since April Thursday as coronavirus metrics remain high across the state. The state reached 5 million people fully vaccinated against the coronavirus this week, but the winter cases show no sign of abating yet.

"We are taking steps to ensure that we are increasing protections all across the city as we see cases going up," Wu said Sunday. "We're in a moment where health must come first.
"We are taking every possible step to avoid (a lockdown), both within our businesses and our schools," she added. "If we can increase vaccination rates, if we can get everyone boosted, we can avoid what we've seen in previous years because we have vaccinations available now."

Nearly 70% of Boston residents are vaccinated and nearly 80% have received their first dose.

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This article originally appeared on the Boston Patch