BOSTON (CBS) — As coronavirus cases continue to decline in Massachusetts, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday announced he will be easing restrictions on restaurants, weddings and other businesses and venues. The state will move into Phase 3, Step 2 on March 1, and plans to enter Phase 4, Step 1 on March 22. Starting Monday, restaurants will no longer face a percentage capacity limit, but will still have to keep six feet of space between tables, limit party size to six and maintain the 90-minute time limit on dining. Other businesses including gyms, offices spaces and close contact personal services will be able to expand capacity to 50%. READ MORE: No Longer Mister: Hasbro's Mr. Potato Head Is Getting A Gender Neutral Name Indoor performance venues like concert halls and theaters will also be allowed to open at 50% capacity, up to 500 people. When Phase 4, Step 1 begins on March 22, wedding capacity will be increased to 100 people inside and 150 outside. Dance floors will also be allowed at wedding receptions. Additionally, stadiums and arenas like Gillette Stadium, Fenway Park, and TD Garden will be able to reopen with a 12% capacity limit in Phase 4. #COVID19MA public health metrics are moving in the right direction with continued drops in average daily cases and hospitalizations. As a result, we are taking steps to reopen our economy: ⏩ Phase III, Step 2 begins Monday March 1 pic.twitter.com/SojuJNVMsO READ MORE: TD Garden, Fenway Park Can Open At 12% Capacity For Fans Starting March 22 — Charlie Baker (@MassGovernor) February 25, 2021 “These large venues employ a lot of people and many of them have been out of work for a very long time,” Baker said during his news conference at Ledger Restaurant And Bar in Salem. “We’ve been watching how these venues perform in other states, and believe with the right safety measures in place they can operate responsibly and safely here in the Commonwealth as well.” Despite the relaxed rules ...
Restaurant
‘A Huge Lifeline’: COVID Restrictions Eased For Restaurants In Mass.
SALEM (CBS) – For restaurant owner Dave McKillop, Governor Baker’s decision to further reopen businesses in Massachusetts is music to his ears. “This will give people the idea to start to move around and that’s exciting,” said McKillop. It means a return of live music to his Salem restaurant Rockafellas and more business. “This is a huge lifeline,” McKillop said. “We’ve lost almost two years worth of wedding venue business and that’s a large portion of business.” READ MORE: Number Of Mass. Communities High-Risk For COVID-19 Drops To 28 As the vaccine rollout inches forward and COVID rates and hospitalizations decline, Governor Baker says it’s time to loosen restrictions. “We wouldn’t be here making this announcement if I didn’t think we had seen for almost two months now positive trends,” said Baker at a press conference at a Salem restaurant. Beginning March 1, restaurants will no longer be subject to percentage seating capacity, but tables must remain six feet apart and musical performances are allowed. Indoor performance venues can open with 50 % capacity or a maximum of 500 people. A new phase that begins March 22 means gathering limits for event venues will increase to 100 people indoors and 150 outdoors. READ MORE: 65,640 Minutes! Painfully Long Waits On Vaccine Website As Thousands Of New Appointments Are Filled Dave McKillop will be able to reopen his upstairs function hall. “We have been dormant since March of last year,” he said. At Ledger restaurant and bar, restrictions have kept the business at only 40% or less. Partitions have guaranteed social distancing but now they can fill more tables. “We should be in a much better position than we are right now,” said owner Matt O’Neil. MORE NEWS: How Long Should You Wait In Between COVID Vaccine Doses? Dr. Mallika Marshall Answers Your Questions The Governor says if positive trends continue, the state could be in a much different place in three months. “It’s OK to go back to doing ...
Philadelphia Residents Enjoy Warmest Day In Over 5 Weeks
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — For many, Wednesday’s weather was a welcome change. Weather days like this in February are hard to come by! The melt is on! How are you spending this sunny Wednesday ☀️ pic.twitter.com/kt59GLabxb READ MORE: Police Searching For Two Suspects Wanted In Northeast Philadelphia Homicide — Matt Petrillo (@MattPetrillo) February 24, 2021 It’s not quite beach weather yet, but take heart, we’re just about three months from Memorial Day and that unofficial start of summer! This winter has seen so much snow. It’s so warm that some people stopped at Weckerly’s Ice Cream in Fishtown. Today is the day to get outside and take a breath of fresh air. With temperatures skirting past 50, the snow, ice and just downright awful conditions we’ve experienced the past few weeks seemed a thing of the past. “It’s absolutely phenomenal out,” one man said. Drone Watch 3 captured bright blue skies Wednesday afternoon from across the Ben Franklin Bridge overlooking the City of Brotherly Love. The warmer weather has plenty of people taking to Kelly Drive for exercise. “It’s so nice to finally be in a t-shirt again and just running around outside,” Kiley Horton said. Davey Bo, wearing a long sleeve shirt, thinks he overdressed. “I probably didn’t even need this. I probably could have just came out in a t-shirt,” Bo said. READ MORE: Pennsylvania GOP Will Meet Again To Discuss Toomey, Vote The spring-like temps also have some starting to buy what they need for their backyard gardens here at Plants Etc. in Fairmount. “It’s funny when people come up and ask for basil plants and geraniums and I’m like, a little too early, a little too early for that,” Dana Kalins said. A few doors down, the manager of Cantina Feliz spent part of the afternoon getting the restaurant ready for what she expects to be a rush of outside diners. “I think warm weather, people are going to come sit outside, they’re gonna enjoy it for as long as it lasts,” ...
Watch Live @ 1: Baker To Announce Return Of Fans To Massachusetts Stadiums, Arenas
SALEM (CBS) – Governor Charlie Baker is set to announce fans will be allowed at Massachusetts stadiums and arenas beginning March 22. Baker has a press conference scheduled for Thursday along with Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy. The event at the Ledger Restaurant and Bar on Washington Street in Salem was described as a reopening update. READ MORE: Flu Has Virtually Disappeared In US During COVID Pandemic You can watch the news conference live at 1 p.m. on CBSN Boston in the video above. READ MORE: Baker Tells Oversight Panel Examining Bumpy Vaccine Rollout Supply Is Biggest Issue Large venues including Fenway Park, Gillette Stadium and TD Garden will be allowed to reopen with capacity restrictions in place, Baker’s office confirmed to WBZ-TV. Red Sox opening day is scheduled for April 1. MORE NEWS: Teenager Crashes Into Randolph House After Alleged Carjacking And Pursuit Earlier this week, Baker said “ stay tuned ” when asked about the possibility of fans being allowed back into stadiums and arenas. ...
SEE IT: A Love Story Discovered in the Galápagos Islands
Photo Courtesy of Simon & Schuster This original essay by novelist Angie Hockman coincides with the release of her new rom-com, “Shipped,” out now from Simon & Schuster (a ViacomCBS Company). The Galápagos Islands are one of the most magical places on Earth. When I traveled aboard National Geographic Endeavour in 2016 for a Lindblad-National Geographic voyage to Galápagos, I never expected how deeply the archipelago—and its precious wildlife, soul-stirring scenery, and local community dedicated to conservation—would touch my heart. READ MORE: No Longer Mister: Hasbro's Mr. Potato Head Is Getting A Gender Neutral Name The experience inspired me so deeply, in fact, that I set my debut romantic comedy novel, “ Shipped ”, on a fictional small-ship adventure cruise in the Galápagos Islands. From cliffsides dotted with preening blue-footed boobies to lush highlands where giant tortoises roam, here are a few of my favorite real-life locations from “ Shipped ” that you can experience in the Galápagos—plus, some quotes taken right from the pages of my book. 1) Punta Suarez, Española Island “There are marine iguanas everywhere . Marine iguanas on rocks. Marine iguanas lying in massive piles, clumped together in the bone-strewn sand. Marine iguanas slinking into the frothy surf next to sea lions lumbering down the beach. The smell might be overpowering, but the sight is incredible.” Photo courtesy of Lindblad Expeditions. Used with permission. When you disembark at Punta Suárez on Española Island for a scenic hike along the coast, prepare to be wowed by wildlife. There are so many marine iguanas, Galápagos sea lions , swallow-tailed gulls, blue-footed boobies, and Nazca boobies that you actually have to watch your step. Even more striking? The feeling of pure wonder you experience as you witness waved albatross circling above, preparing to land. Or blue-footed boobies engaging in their epic mating dance. And the view, once ...
