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Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker recently announced that restaurants and other small businesses in Massachusetts will no longer be required to close their doors at 9:30 p.m., effective Monday, January 25 at 5 a.m. The curfew has been in place since early November 2020.
On Friday, January 22, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh announced via Twitter that businesses in the city — including restaurants — would follow suit with the state’s latest guidelines, which keep in place 25 percent capacity caps until at least February 8.
The State’s lifting of early closing times will apply to businesses in Boston. However, the list of allowed in-person activities will continue to be subject to the @CityofBoston’s temporary rollback to Phase 2.
— Mayor Marty Walsh (@marty_walsh) January 22, 2021
The announcement may seem redundant given that Boston is, of course, part of Massachusetts, but the city and state have sometimes diverged in their approaches with regard to business guidelines and restrictions during the pandemic.
For example: The 25 percent capacity cap was initially set to expire on different dates in the city (January 27) and state (January 24). With these latest announcements, the city and state are in unison.
• Gov. Baker Removes 9:30 p.m. Curfew on Restaurants [EBOS]
• Gov. Baker Issues New Guidance on Massachusetts Restaurant Curfew [NBCB]
• Restaurant Capacity Caps Will Remain in Place in Massachusetts for at Least Two Additional Weeks [EBOS]
