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December 22nd, 2021 
Awake Goy 
Wu tightened the capital city’s vaccine requirements days after three cases of the Omicron variant were detected in Boston and as health officials said infections have climbed 89 percent over just two weeks. The move comes as many cities hope to stem the latest wave of infections and the Biden administration looks to expand testing across the country. The decision also came down a little over a week after Wu told POLITICO her Covid-19 advisory group spoke with New York City officials about their vaccine passport program.
But Wu’s already drawing pushback for her new rules. The new Boston mayor was nearly drowned out by the few dozen protesters — including Republican governor hopeful and former state representative Geoff Diehl — who showed up at City Hall on Monday to jeer her vaccine requirements.
“Welcome to the people’s building,” Wu said in response. “There is nothing more American than coming together to ensure that we are taking care of each other.”
Businesses and restaurants greeted Wu’s announcement with a mixture of relief and dismay. Some entrepreneurs welcomed the additional step to keep their staff and patrons safe. But others lamented more red tape as they try to keep their businesses afloat. Wu said Tuesday she’s “overwhelmingly” heard “relief” from businesses “that there are now clear rules and parameters that can help level the playing field.”
The city could also face legal challenges. Shana Cottone — a Boston police sergeant who represents Boston First Responders United, a group of emergency medical technicians, firefighters and police — told POLITICO on Tuesday her group is “going to fight this through every legal means possible” and is already talking to an attorney.
“Covid is a terrible thing,” Cottone said. “But taking away people’s jobs is not the way to solve that problem.”
With cases surging and patients overwhelming hospitals across the state, Gov. Charlie Baker on Tuesday issued a statewide advisory recommending — but not requiring — that people mask up in indoor public spaces. The Republican governor is also ordering hospitals to postpone or cancel all elective procedures beginning Dec. 27 and is activating hundreds of National Guard members to assist hospitals facing staffing shortages.
“For the foreseeable future, Massachusetts and most of the country will see large numbers of new cases,” Baker said at a Tuesday press conference. “But a new case today does not mean the same thing a new case meant a year ago. The therapies and vaccines that offer near-universal protection did not exist a year ago.”
Baker continues to resist imposing a statewide mask mandate despite increasing pressure from medical professionals, Democratic state lawmakers and now Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), who sent the governor a letter Tuesday saying Massachusetts “can and must do more to ensure our most vulnerable communities are protected.”
Boston and dozens of cities across Massachusetts have already reimposed mask mandates for municipal buildings and/or indoor public spaces writ large. Mayors from multiple eastern Massachusetts cities also joined Wu on Monday to push their own vaccine mandates or plan to announce similar policies in coming days.
“It’s very important that we continue to take precautions heading into the holiday season,” Wu said Tuesday. “I’m happy that cities have the ability to go above and beyond what the state is doing.”
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