Next Saturday, most COVID-19 restrictions in the state will lapse, including capacity limits.
This is welcomed news for the hospitality industry which has been crippled by the pandemic since it started.
But some restaurants, including those owned by the Starlite Management Company, won't be returning their spaces completely back to normal just yet.
Emma Hollander is a managing partner at the company and she says for now, they will not be operating at full capacity, tables will remain spaced out, and masks will still be required by staff and patrons if they leave their tables.
"I don't feel like it's over and I think when we say things like 'don't worry, you don't have to wear a mask, we're at 100% capacity, everything's fine, take down all your barriers' ... it's a misconception that 'oh the pandemic's over' and I've heard people say things like that," said Hollander. "It's not over and we all need to be very careful about how we act indoors and who we're interacting with and not everybody's vaccinated."
And restaurants aren't the only ones preparing for a relaxing of restrictions. We learned what art institutions around the Commonwealth are preparing for this summer from GBH's Executive Arts Editor Jared Bowen.
Click on the audio player above to listen to the full episode.
Segments:
Emma Hollander - 2:10
Jared Bowen - 15:55
