Governor Charlie Baker announced today that the Commonwealth is on track to meet its vaccination goals by the first week of June, and due to that progress all remaining COVID-19 restrictions will be lifted effective May 29th. The Commonwealth’s mask/face covering order will also be rescinded on May 29th, and the state will revert to following the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated guidance. Face coverings will still be mandatory for all individuals on public and private transportation systems, in healthcare facilities and in other settings hosting vulnerable populations, such as congregate care settings.
Effective May 29, all industries will be permitted to open, all industry restrictions will be lifted, and capacity will increase to 100% for all industries. The gathering limits will be rescinded. All industries will be encouraged to follow CDC guidance for cleaning and hygiene protocols.
The State of Emergency will end on June 15th. For more information click
here.
Action Coming on Unemployment Insurance
This week the House and Senate are expected to take action on legislation, designed by the Baker Administration, to address the significant unemployment insurance solvency assessment increase recently experienced by employers. While details regarding the proposal have yet to be released, RAM continues to monitor for new developments and will update members as more information emerges. While the proposal is anticipated to provide short term relief, a long term solution to the $5 billion UI trust fund deficit—including state use of American Rescue Plan recovery funds—remains an unknown. Also unknown is the status of two RAM supported UI proposals to reimplement the UI program’s work search requirement and transition of the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation to return to work benefit.
