Health

Vaccine mandate takes effect in Boston, Brookline

BROOKLINE, Mass. — Walk through Brookline and you will see signs on industry doors saying vaccination is now required but don’t blame the establishment, this is a city mandate.

“We’ve been preparing, we knew this was coming,” said Blossom Bar owner Ran Duan. “It was following other cities.”

Brookline is following Boston’s lead with a citywide vaccine mandate for all indoor entertainment, recreation, dining, and fitness settings.

“I do think it’s not the most convenient but I understand with the numbers going up it’s better than a complete closure like we did last time,” said Madyson Williams of Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs.

The mandate may have added one more step and a little extra wait at Beacon Hill Athletic Clubs, but workers say only one or two people had an issue.

“They were vaccinated, they were just slightly annoyed of standing here and having to show it and sign in every time instead of just scanning in and walking away,” said Williams.

“Our guests have been mostly cooperative we had a couple of guys who have been a little bit more abrasive,” said Duan. “A couple of people saying we will go out of business and we get it. Everyone is frustrated but at the end of the day, we are in this together. We are stuck between a rock and a hard place and we just wanna get through this pandemic and survive doing our best.

Since this was a soft launch, some business owners will be a little lenient your first time, and some may turn you away.

“We tell them if you have your vaccine card great. If you need to go home and grab it we totally get it,” said Duan. “I will be more than happy to invite you back in and buy you a drink just so we’re making the effort to come in and keep everyone safe. We get it. It’s hard for everyone right now. Hopefully, it’ll be a learning curve. We’ll get used to this. It’s the new normal. It’ll become like taking a license.”

If you don’t want to carry your physical card with you, you can take a pic or upload a digital version online. Right now you only need proof of one dose but by the end of February, you’ll need to show you are fully vaccinated.