Boston Mayor Michelle Wu swore in the new Boston City Council in an outdoor ceremony Monday, as nearby protesters opposed to her administration's new COVID-19 mitigation requirements loudly voiced their displeasure.
"This year marks 200 years since the town of Boston officially became the city of Boston, and created its very first City Council," Wu said on the elevated City Hall courtyard, while protesters gathered outside the building's nearby entrance chanted "Shame!"
"200 years ago, the first 55 city councilors looked different than the body we have just inaugurated today," Wu continued. "100 years after that City Council was created, there still were no women, no people of color serving in the city of Boston. So as we mark this new year, it's really not just about the passage of time, but the progress that the city has seen, and that we will continue to rush into in this time of great consequence."
The new iteration of the Boston City Council includes Ruthzee Louijeune, the body's first Haitian American member, and Tania Fernandes Anderson, the first Muslim and first African immigrant to serve on the body. Once again, a majority of the councilors are women. Wu, who became the first Asian American councilor in 2014, is the first woman and first person of color elected as the city's mayor.
On Dec. 20, Wu announced that Boston would begin requiring proof of vaccination against COVID-19 to enter many indoor recreation venues on Jan. 15, and that vaccination would be mandatory for city workers who haven't received a medical or religious exemption. City employees who are unvaccinated were previously allowed to get weekly coronavirus tests instead.
The latter requirement is being vigorously opposed by the group Boston First Responders United, which has held several demonstrations and threatened litigation.
On Monday, Boston First Responders United tweeted a link to the ceremony, which it incorrectly identified as Wu's inauguration, and spoke of "the CRIES of citizens whose jobs are being TORN AWAY." A variety of signs were evident at the protest, including "No medical mandates," "China lied people Died," "Stop the communist and terrorist revolution."
After both the council inauguration and protest concluded, Wu defended the new policies.
"This is a moment of tremendous consequence," she said. "And it's clear that vaccinations save lives. Vaccinations are the most powerful tool we have to end this pandemic. ... Despite whatever misinformation or headwinds that we might be facing, we are moving forward and making sure that Boston will lead the way in keeping all of us safe."
Wu returned to the topic a minute later, after she was asked what her message is to the protesters.
"This is a time in our country and in our city that I know feels exhausting and scary," Wu replied. "We are facing yet another winter surge. COVID continues to upend our lives in so many ways. But the best thing we can do is to come together and protect each other. Every person that gets vaccinated is protection not just for themselves, but for their families and communities."
U.S. Labor Secretary Marty Wash, Wu's mayoral predecessor, attended the inauguration. Afterward, he was also asked if he had a message for the protesters.
"My advice to everybody is that we're living in a pandemic and we have to be very careful," Walsh said. "It's emotional for all of us. It's emotional for me — I was thinking over the weekend, two years ago, the weekend around March 17, I was shutting everything down. We were shutting the world down, and we haven't recovered yet. ... And our first responders went to work every day, and our nurses went to work every day, and our grocery store workers went to work every day.
"A hundred years ago. ... people went through the same emotion," Walsh added, referring to the lethal Spanish flu pandemic. "And a lot of it's fear. And we just have to — we have to get beyond that. I've said from the very beginning, this should not be political; this is about supporting each other."
In the post-inaugural press conference, Wu was also asked if the Boston Public Schools would be able to sustain in-person learning as the omicron variant surges and more teachers and staff test positive for the virus.
The answer may be no, Wu suggested.
"This is a conversation with the state that is ongoing," Wu said. "In-person learning is better for our kids, right? As a mom with two kids in our school system, I know that to be true. I see it in my kids' eyes when they talk about what it was like learning on the computer versus being in person with their friends, even masked up safely and getting tested regularly.
"However, we have to be realistic about staffing challenge," she added. "Districts across the country right now are facing a surge. And as the positivity rates go up, it becomes unmanageable at a certain point to keep classrooms staffed. ... We are at the point know where we will know, tomorrow morning, what the staffing situation looks like."
Classes are slated to resume in the Boston Public Schools on Tuesday.
