By JULIE CUNNINGHAM
(Boston, MA) Governor Baker announced Step One of Phase II of his four phase, multi-step reopening plan last week. While confusing, the list of businesses now open on June 8 includes retail establishments with limited capacity, childcare, day camps, and daycare facilities that meet the guidelines, restaurants for outdoor table service only, hotels and lodgings with restrictions on events, functions, and meetings, warehouse and distribution centers, personal services like home cleaning, photography, window washing, career coaching and education tutoring, post secondary education, higher education, vocational tech and occupation schools, youth and adult amateur sports, outdoor recreation facilities, professional sports practices without games or public admission, non athletic youth instructional classes in arts, education, or life skills in groups of less than 10, driving and flight schools, outdoor historical spaces without functions gatherings, or guided tours, funeral homes, without occupancy limits.
Childcare facilities are required to submit detailed plans outlining their COVID-19 preparedness, which includes screening all staff and children with temperature check before entering, establishing one point of entry into the building, requiring parents to wear masks when entering the building, and staggered drop off and pickup schedules. Children over the age of two should be encouraged, but are not required to, wear face coverings. Children should wear masks when playing outdoors if they cannot keep six feet apart. Masks do not need to be worn while eating, drinking, sleeping, or napping. Staff are encouraged to wear see through masks so children can see their faces.
Classroom sizes are reduced to ten students and two teachers, for a total of twelve people in the room. Field trips should be cancelled and non essential visitors should be limited. Group transportation should be provided if their is no other option to transport children to and from the school.
Additional businesses that are eligible to open in Step Two Phase II include indoor table service at restaurants, close contact personal services with restrictions, hair removal and replacement, nail care, skin care, massage therapy, makeup salons and makeup application services, tanning salons, tattoo, piercing, and body art services, and personal training.