Phase 3 reopening guidance for indoor fitness, outdoor events and performances, and tourism industry issued

Mayor Martin J. Walsh announced today the City of Boston has issued industry-specific reopening guidance for several businesses included in Step One of Phase III of the four-phase Reopening Massachusetts plan, which will begin on Monday, July 13 in the City of Boston. An interdepartmental working group has published a framework for reopening for indoor fitness businesses, outdoor events, theater and performances, and tourism and cultural businesses in the City of Boston, which include guidance on event capacity limitations, social distancing, operational requirements, and health and safety guidelines.

Beginning Monday, the City of Boston will allow for the issuance of permits for up to 50 participants for outdoor events on City property and events requiring Special Events Committee review and approval. The Boston Parks Department will also issue permits for low and moderate contact amateur sporting events, such as baseball and softball, with a maximum of 50 participants including players, coaches, and observers. Permits for high-contact sports such as basketball, lacrosse, and football will be authorized at a later date per the Commonwealth's four-phased reopening plan. In addition to following the City's capacity cap, outdoor events and amateur sports must follow all other existing permitting and licensing requirements. Public health metrics will dictate any future adjustments to the capacity limitations.

"Due to Boston's unique needs and challenges, we used this additional time to ensure Phase III of our reopening guidance is accessible and prioritizes public health and safety," said Mayor Walsh. "As I have said, we are seeing disturbing numbers in many parts of the country right now. As we implement a safe, cautious, phased-in reopening strategy, this is not the time to let up, either in our collective risk management or in our personal precautions."

These operational recommendations incorporate the Commonwealth's Sector-specific Workplace Safety Standards and supplements them with recommendations based on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and industry associations to offer best practices for preparing and returning to the physical workplace, preparing the workforce, and ensuring continuity of operations. Materials will be translated in additional languages and made available on the Reopen Boston webpage. 

In the last several weeks, the City of Boston has issued additional reopening guidance for office spaces, indoor dining, and houses of worship, and has hosted several virtual information sessions for close-contact personal care businesses, including tattoo parlors, nail salons and tanning salons, which can be found on the Economic Development Facebook page. Resources to assist businesses with reopening are also available, including the Reopen Boston Fund, PPE and cleaning supply directory, and applications for temporary sidewalk extensions for retail businesses.

The City of Boston has created a number of useful resources to help support small businesses impacted by COVID-19, including the Open Businesses in Boston, Support Boston Restaurants, and the Black and Brown-owned Businesses platforms have helped businesses to publicly share that they are open and direct residents into supporting local establishments. The above resources and more industry-specific guidance are accessible on boston.gov/small-business. For all coronavirus updates from the City of Boston, please visit boston.gov/coronavirus.