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All Massachusetts bars and restaurants will be shuttered for dine-in business from March 17 through April 6. (This is an update; the end date was originally reported to be April 17.) The measure, aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus, allows for takeout and delivery, and pharmacies and grocery stores can remain in operation.
Governor Charlie Baker’s announcement supersedes one made just a few hours earlier by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh that allowed Boston restaurants to remain open (although many had already voluntarily closed temporarily) at reduced capacity and with reduced hours, no lines allowed outside, and a strict penalty for noncompliance.
With the new statewide directive in place, the only portion of Walsh’s new Boston-specific regulations that will really come into play is that all Boston restaurants can offer takeout, even if they weren’t previously licensed to do so.
Governor Baker’s announcement also bans gatherings larger than 25 people, and all public and private schools are suspended for three weeks, through April 7.
Massachusetts is not the only state to declare a complete restaurant shutdown; Illinois and Ohio have done the same.
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General Takeout and Delivery
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Cooking and Learning at Home
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How to Support Local Restaurants and Workers Right Now
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How COVID-19 Is Affecting the Industry Nationwide
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Massachusetts Restaurant News
36
- 3/13/20: Over 60 Local Restaurants, a Food Hall, and a Casino Voluntarily Closed Amid Novel Coronavirus Outbreak
- 3/15/20: Nightly Curfew and Reduced Capacities Mandated for Boston Restaurants and Bars to Slow Coronavirus Spread
- 3/18/20: Some MA Restaurants Can Defer Meals Taxes Until June
- 3/19/20: NH Restaurants Can Temporarily Sell Beer and Wine With Takeout — But MA Restaurants Still Can’t
- 3/23/20: Restaurant Delivery and Takeout Can Continue Through MA Stay-at-Home Advisory
- 3/23/20: Cambridge Is Partnering With Local Restaurants to Help Feed Homeless People
- 3/27/20: Harvard Agrees to Compensate Furloughed Contract Dining and Catering Workers
- 3/30/20: Boston-Area Cities, Towns, and Restaurants Are Moving Away From Takeout Service
- 3/31/20: MA Restaurants Will Remain Closed Through May 4, Except for Takeout and Delivery
- 4/3/20: MA Bars and Restaurants Can Now Sell Beer and Wine With Takeout and Delivery Orders
- 4/13/20: MA Tightens Grocery Store Restrictions Amid COVID-19 Pandemic
- 4/16/20: Boston Restaurants Can’t Sell Groceries, According to City Inspectors
- 4/28/20: MA Restaurant Closure (Except for Takeout and Delivery) Will Continue Through May 18
- 5/5/20: The Boston City Council Will Consider Temporary Caps on Delivery Commission Fees for Apps
- 5/5/20: Legal Sea Foods Is Suing Its Insurer for Denying Its Coronavirus Claim
- 5/6/20: Two New England Restaurateurs Have Been Charged With Defrauding the Paycheck Protection Plan
- 5/11/20: Rude Customers Are Forcing Food Business Owners to Reevaluate Their Plans
- 5/18/20: Mass. Restaurants Will Remain Closed for Dine-In Service Until at Least the Second Week of June
- 5/20/20: Restaurants Have Begun to Reopen, at Least for Outdoor Service, in Some New England States
- 5/26/20: South End Restaurant Temporarily Closes Due to Owner’s COVID-19 Diagnosis
- 5/26/20: The Boston Licensing Board Is Making It Easier for Restaurants to Create Outdoor Dining Spaces
- 5/29/20: Massachusetts Restaurants Could Begin to Reopen for Outdoor Dining as Soon as June 8
- 6/4/20: Here Are Some Boston-Area Restaurants Ready to Open Their Patios Next Week, If Allowed
- 6/6/20: Massachusetts Restaurants Can Officially Reopen for Outdoor Dining on Monday, June 8
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- 6/18/20: While Massachusetts Waits, the Rest of New England Reopens Dining Rooms
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- 6/23/20: Jamaica Mi Hungry Is Expanding During the Pandemic
- 7/2/20: The Massachusetts Senate Continues to Ignore the Restaurant Relief Act
- 7/7/20: Massachusetts Package Stores Support Restaurant Relief — But Not If It Threatens Package Stores
- 7/13/20: Restaurants Are Officially Open for Business in Boston, but Some Are Opting Out
- 7/21/20: Massachusetts Bars and Restaurants Can Finally Sell Cocktails to Go (for Now)
- 8/7/20: Charlie Baker Is Stepping up Enforcement of the Requirement That Restaurants Accompany Booze With Food
- 8/12/20: Boston Licensing Board to Reprimand Beer Gardens for Non-Compliance With Social Distance Regulations
- 9/2/20: Cambridge’s Commonwealth Will ‘Hibernate’ for the Duration of the Pandemic
- 9/22/20: Bintimani Is a Pillar in Boston’s West African Dining Scene. Now It’s Facing Eviction.
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The Wider Effects on Massachusetts Restaurants
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