May 22, 2020
RAM Members Eagerly Await Rare Weekend Changes to Essential Services FAQs: Curbside Pickup & Remote Fulfillment Rules Expected
Non-essential retail stores continued to be limited in Phase One of the Reopening Plan, but expansion to allow for curbside pickup begins on Memorial Day, Monday, May 25th. RAM has been in regular communication with Governor Charlie Baker’s staff regarding our thoughts on the curbside pickup rules and necessary changes to the remote fulfillment guidance. We urged the Administration to move toward using less prescriptive language in the Essential Services FAQs guidance, specifically around employee staffing levels, and to use terms such as “limited staff” necessary to safely complete the necessary functions to operate curbside and remote fulfillment. Based on discussions with senior staff in the Governor’s Office, we are confident that specific employee count restrictions on fulfillment and curbside will not be dictated in the FAQs, but rather will be “limited staff” as determined by the employer.
The Essential Services FAQs will be updated this weekend, prior to the Monday start of curbside pickup. ALL members are encouraged to check the link frequently for an updated version, or check the RAM website for news of its availability.
Also, all businesses that are permitted to operate brick-and-mortar premises – regardless of whether or not the facility is open to the public – must immediately adopt and maintain the new “General Workplace Safety Rules” found in Section 2 of the Governor’s COVID-19 Order No. 33. All Essential Businesses are reminded that they need to self-certify compliance with the new safety standards. A COVID-19 control plan template is provided on the state site to satisfy the written control plan requirement for self-certification. Required employer and employee posters are available for download, as is the Compliance attestation poster that customer facing businesses are required to print, sign, and post in an area within the business premises that is visible to workers and visitors.
The state’s reopening site also includes additional info on:
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