Retailers Association calls on businesses, government to set back to work timeline

BOSTON — The Retailers Association of Massachusetts is pushing for a concrete timeline on going back to work in person as the group says the pandemic begins to ease. The retailer advocate says so many small businesses are in limbo as they make decisions on the future but have no information about when the state may return to an in-person workforce.

The heart of Boston is not exactly beating like it did before COVID-19. Boston Barber Company manager Jerry Savino told us their Beacon Hill shop used to have the lunch hour and after work rush. “You would see people everywhere, then it would help us they would stop in to get a haircut, they walk by and come right in,” said Savino.

Retailers Association of Massachusetts President Jon Hurst has been calling on big businesses and government leaders to set a clear timeline on when we might return to a full in-person workforce. “We need vision, we need a clear plan, we need to decide what is the date that we should shoot for to get back into our offices, get back on the T, normalcy,” said Hurst. Hurst says even in his own office building near Government Center — sits empty. “We need to urge them to take steps to get people back to the workforce and back to a routine (Robert Goulston: do they say why they are waiting?) I think a lot of it is the messaging from government which you know keeps changing,” said Hurst.

Talia Carpinteri works remotely from her South Boston home. “I think the remote is working. I don’t want to go back. I don’t want to go back. I’m not ready,” said Carpinteri. It seems a lot of people are in that same mindset. “I just think the new variant it is just safer to be inside and I think companies will lose a lot of people if they decide to do that full in person work week stuff,” said Carinteri.

The Governor’s office telling us right now there are no statewide restrictions on in-person working.

Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.

Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW

©2022 Cox Media Group