Planning To Reopen - Understanding The Rollback

12/10/2020 (Permalink)

On Tuesday Gov. Charlie Baker declared that Massachusetts will soon roll back a single step within the current phase of its economic reopening plans, as cases continue to spike across the state. The changes officially begin on Sunday, Dec. 13 and will impact restrictions on the number of people allowed inside facilities and implement new rules related to masks and dining. He explained that the move back to "step one, phase three" will reduce capacity limits at nearly all businesses — including gyms, museums, office spaces, restaurants and arcades — to 40%.

Additionally, he also announced that masks must now be worn at all times inside workplaces unless a worker has a medical exemption or is in a private space. Lastly, outdoor events in every municipality no longer may host gatherings with more than 50 people.

The new orders called for restaurants to reduce the number of people who can be seated at any table to six, as well as to set 90-minute limits for diners. Patrons must wear masks as they order food and whenever they are not eating or drinking. Musical performances will no longer be allowed in restaurants. Food courts will close again. For the communities that were, however, deemed "lower risk," and did move into "step 2," the state permitted the following:

• Indoor performance venues to open with 50% capacity with a maximum of 250 people
• Outdoor performance venues capacity to increase to 50%, with a maximum of 250 people
• Trampolines, obstacles courses, roller rinks and laser tag to open, with capacity at 50%
• Fitting rooms open at retail stores
• Gyms, museums, libraries and driving and flight schools to increase capacity to 50%

Now, Baker's most recent order means all communities that adopted any of the above measures will need to shut those activities down by Sunday. 

"The state of Massachusetts is being tested once again," Baker said, "the days of most people doing most of the right things are probably not enough," he added. Tuesday's announcement came just one day after the governor told reporters that starting Friday, hospitals would begin canceling some non-urgent, inpatient elective surgeries and appointments.

While the administration continues to work with communities to implement best practices and protocols for reopening we will continue to share with you guidance from the CDC, EPA, FDA, Mass EEA, Mass EEC, Mass DESE, and OSHA and the Governor's office to follow as we prepare for the new school year.

Also, we at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley know that not every community has access to the resources necessary to meet the strict cleaning guidelines to ensure a safe environment for our children. For those communities, we are here to help!

Certified: SERVPRO Cleaned

The Disaster Remediation Teams at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley are specialists in cleaning services and we adhere to the highest cleaning and sanitation standards. We are prepared to clean and disinfect your schools, according to protocols set forth by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We have years of experience in dealing with biological contaminants, and we will go beyond the scope of work of "normal daily cleaning". Call SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley today for a free consultation - (617) 332-9000.

All of us here at SERVPRO of Newton/Wellesley want you and your loved ones to stay safe and know that we will make it through this together! Rest assured, we will continue to do our best to keep you up-to-date and informed!