SALEM — The Board of Health unanimously voted Wednesday night to establish a proof-of-vaccination requirement for entry into certain high-risk businesses; and a city-wide, indoor-mask mandate.
The vaccine mandate goes into effect on Jan. 15, and the indoor-mask requirement will take effect immediately.
Mayor Kimberley Driscoll proposed the vaccine mandate to the Board of Health on Monday — the same day Boston Mayor Michelle Wu installed a similar vaccine mandate in the City of Boston. Driscoll said the city must use every tool at its disposal to increase vaccination rates and mitigate the spread of COVID-19.
“We need to use all the tools in our toolbox to address the current COVID-19 challenges, and that means ensuring people are vaccinated to curb virus transmission and reduce the likelihood of hospitalization for those who contract COVID-19,” said Driscoll. “With only 50 percent of young adults in Salem between the ages of 16 and 29 vaccinated, and our local hospital at, or near capacity, it’s important that we take action now to address rising COVID-19-case counts this winter. I hope that taking these measures will help our city stay safe, open and strong.”
Board of Health Chair Dr. Jeremy Schiller said the mask and vaccine requirements will help Salem, and other local hospitals that are near capacity and risk patient overflow.
“(With) the dramatic increase in cases, coupled with the current near capacity at not only our local hospital in Salem, but throughout the region, it is critical we take further mitigation measures during this pandemic,” said Schiller. “While the vaccines are not 100-percent effective at preventing the spread of COVID-19, they are, like stop signs and speed limits, effective tools for reducing the risk of harm to oneself and others, and are therefore not only ethical but necessary from a public-health perspective.”
The vaccine mandate is broken down into three phases that focus on different age groups.
Phase one will go into effect on Jan. 15. All individuals ages 12 and over must present proof of at least one dose of vaccination in either a one-dose or two-dose series.
Phase two goes into effect on March 1. All individuals ages 5 to 11 must present proof of at least one dose of vaccination in either a one-dose or two-dose series.
Phase three goes into effect May 1. All individuals ages 5 to 11 must present proof of either one dose of a one-dose vaccine series or two doses in a two-dose series.
This requirement applies to the following types of businesses in the City of Salem: movie theaters, music and concert venues, commercial-event and party venues, museums and galleries, haunted houses and similar attractions, escape rooms, exhibition spaces, performance venues, theaters, indoor-sports facilities, bowling alleys, indoor portions of food-service establishments offering food and drink — including restaurants, indoor gyms and fitness centers, yoga/pilates/barre/dance studios, boxing/kickboxing gyms, fitness boot camps, indoor pools and other facilities used for conducting group-fitness classes.
The requirement does not apply to exclusively retail establishments, including grocery stores or any food-service establishment offering food and drink for off-premises or outdoor consumption.
It also does not apply to food-service establishments providing charitable food services, such as pantries or soup kitchens.
The Board of Health will re-review the vaccine mandate on March 8.
The City of Salem’s Economic Recovery Task Force will also host a free online webinar for all Salem businesses interested in learning more about the new order, and to answer questions to help them successfully implement the new safety standards to protect their customers and employees. The webinar takes place on Tuesday, Jan 4 at 2 p.m. Registration is required, and is available at www.salem.com/safesalem.
