On March 15, Governor Baker issued an emergency order limiting gatherings to 25 individuals and prohibiting on-premises consumption of food or drink at bars and restaurants, beginning on March 17 and effective until April 6.
Restaurants and bars will only be open for take-out and delivery until April 6. No dining in. This order doesn’t apply to grocery stores or pharmacies, which can remain open as usual. Retail stores can stay open too, but they cannot have more than 25 people in the space at a time.
Employees of affected businesses can apply for unemployment — and the state will try to streamline the process. The state will waive the one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits, expand eligibility for people impacted by virus-related closures, and is “relaxing some of the requirements around current unemployment claims,” Baker said. He did not offer many specifics, but said the legislation will be filed Monday morning.
For updated information, visit https://www.mass.gov/info-details/covid-19-state-of-emergency
