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So, the governor of Massachusetts has announced new limits on gathering sizes and how many people can be inside a place of business, which I think will accomplish little except unite everyone in thinking he got it wrong.
Maybe the lower occupancy limits will help a little, but: anything that was allowed to be open under the current restrictions is still allowed, including casinos and indoor dining in restaurants. Alao employees explicitly don't count toward the limits on occupancy for restaurants, hairdressers, and retail businesses (they do count toward the total if it's a library, driving school, or fitness center).
Oh, and hospitals have to halt "non-essential in-patient visits," but this does not include outpatient procedures, pediatric appointments, preventive screenings for cancer and other maladies, or ambulatory services.
So I'm sitting here thinking this isn't going to do any real good, in terms of saving lives or easing the pressure on hospitals and health care workers, but it is going to be hard on a lot of businesses.
I am honestly not sure whether Charlie Baker thinks this will make a difference, or whether he is trying and failing to find a compromise between public health and capitalism, knowing that a significant number of people will be angry no matter what he does.
The text of the order is here.
Maybe the lower occupancy limits will help a little, but: anything that was allowed to be open under the current restrictions is still allowed, including casinos and indoor dining in restaurants. Alao employees explicitly don't count toward the limits on occupancy for restaurants, hairdressers, and retail businesses (they do count toward the total if it's a library, driving school, or fitness center).
Oh, and hospitals have to halt "non-essential in-patient visits," but this does not include outpatient procedures, pediatric appointments, preventive screenings for cancer and other maladies, or ambulatory services.
So I'm sitting here thinking this isn't going to do any real good, in terms of saving lives or easing the pressure on hospitals and health care workers, but it is going to be hard on a lot of businesses.
I am honestly not sure whether Charlie Baker thinks this will make a difference, or whether he is trying and failing to find a compromise between public health and capitalism, knowing that a significant number of people will be angry no matter what he does.
The text of the order is here.
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