JM Leach
As of today, February 8, at 5 a.m., restaurants in Massachusetts can officially operate at 40 percent capacity. Gov. Charlie Baker announced the news in his February 4 press briefing. The course change eases restrictions that were put in place on December 26, 2020 that capped restaurant capacities at 25 percent.
Baker cited encouraging trends in public health data as the reason for dialing back restrictions for restaurants and other small business.
“Hospitalizations are down 33 percent since they peaked in January,” said Gov. Baker on Feb. 4. “And the seven day average of cases is also down by about 53 percent since its peak, from 6,120 down to 3,274.”
TheBigPineapple/Getty Images
Restaurants, other small businesses, and many other industries throughout Massachusetts must continue to operate at reduced capacities, with Gov. Charlie Baker announcing in his January 7 update that restrictions put in place on December 26, 2020, and initially meant to expire on January 10, will be extended for an additional two weeks. Restaurants and other businesses in Massachusetts must continue to adhere to a 25 percent capacity cap until at least January 24.
In Boston, Mayor Marty Walsh recently announced that restaurants must adhere to a 25 percent capacity cap until at least January 27.
In his press briefing, Gov. Baker attributed the extension of restrictions to a sharp increase in the state’s COVID-19 infection rate.
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker rolled out a $668 million relief program on Dec. 23 targeted at helping small businesses, giving priority to those that have been hit hardest by the pandemic, including restaurants and bars. Half of the funds are expected to go to businesses that were unable to access the state’s previous small business aid efforts, which were heavily oversubscribed. Businesses that applied previously but were unable to access state aid will not be forced to re-apply this time around, Gov. Baker said.
The program, which will be administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corp., and paid for in most part by the recently passed $900 billion federal stimulus bill, will provide small businesses with up to $75,000 or three months of their operating expenses. The funds, which will be paid out as grants (and will therefore not need to be repaid), can be used to cover payroll, mortgages, debt, and other operating costs. The sta