What You Can Do Under The State's New COVID Rules

Also: High schools must offer fully in-person learning by May 17; why statues of this colonial woman are facing a reckoning ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌  [Donate [WBUR]]( [View in Browser](  [WBUR]( April 28, 2021 Good Morning Boston, ☁️ A chance of showers and thunderstorms, mostly after 3 p.m. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 60. When it rains, it pours – and I'm not just talking about this morning's weather. That's how it felt yesterday with the constant downpour of news. There are some big reopening updates, including a timeline for a full reopening of business activities by August, that you'll certainly want to take note of. Here's what you need to know: - Starting Friday, Massachusetts will no longer require residents to wear masks when they are outdoors in public spaces. The main exceptions are if you're unable to physically distance from others or you're in a crowd – think a sporting event or a protest. Masks are still required indoors, and Gov. Charlie Baker made it clear he has no intention of lifting that mandate anytime soon. - When it comes to the rest of the updates, there are three dates that bring about the most change for businesses and gathering sizes: Monday, May 10; Saturday, May 29; and Sunday, Aug. 1. Get the breakdown of what's changing on each of those days [here](. The highlights are that limits on indoor gatherings will be loosened by next month and – if the case numbers keep trending in the right direction – businesses may be able to fully reopen by Aug. 1. - We know you likely have a lot of questions about what pre-pandemic activities you can get back to and when, so we've taken a shot at highlighting the nitty-gritty details and explaining what the future scenarios you're dreaming of may actually look like in the story below. Give it a read! - Boston isn't quite comfortable with the speed of the state's reopening plan, so the city is going to [follow a three-week delay]( to the state's schedule. That means the big change dates to remember are June 1, June 19 and Aug. 22. Somerville will also wait to join the state and won't loosen some restrictions until May 7. Its full schedule is on the [city's website.]( - The CDC also [updated its guidance on outdoor mask wearing](. The agency now says fully vaccinated Americans don't need to wear masks outdoors anymore unless they are in a big crowd of strangers, and unvaccinated people do not have to wear masks outdoors when they walk, bike or run alone or with members of their household. The main takeaway with all this news is that transmission is low in most outdoor scenarios, but masks indoors are still crucial. - So what do local public health experts think about all of this? In the last week, a quarter of a million Massachusetts residents became fully vaccinated, and, overall, almost a third of the state's adults have now reached that marker. That's good progress. And COVID cases and deaths are dropping – also a good sign. But Dr. Sabrina Assoumou, an infectious disease physician at Boston Medical Center, told WBUR this morning that if COVID-19 hospitalizations begin ticking back up it might be a sign to bring back restrictions. "I'd like to see how the next few weeks will go," he said. - And in non-COVID news: The Biden administration yesterday [limited the power of ICE]( to arrest immigrants in or near courthouses for most immigration violations. Local immigration advocates and top prosecutors say they hope the change begins to reverse the culture of fear that was heightened under the previous administration. P.S.– Stories like this remind me that our readers and listeners really are the best. Earlier this year, a listener heard an interview on Here & Now with an unemployed couple who were couch surfing, so she reached out and offered to let them house sit for her. So nice! Producer Ashley Locke checked in on the couple to see how they've been doing, and they shared a blog post with a nice little [update](. — Meagan McGinnes [@meaganmcginnes]( newsletters@wbur.org The Rundown [1.](url)[Here's What You Can Do Under The State's New COVID Rules, And When]( When can I throw a huge party at my house? Can I add more people to my wedding guest list? Do these guidelines apply to everyone or just the fully vaccinated? Yes, we've taken a shot at answering some important questions you might have about the state's reopening plans. [Read more.]( - Read: [The State's Full Release On Reopening](   #%23%23[Twitter](  #%23%23[Facebook](    2. [Massachusetts High Schools Must Offer Fully In-Person Learning By May 17]( All district high schools will be required to offer in-person learning for high school students five days a week by that deadline, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeffrey Riley announced Tuesday. [Read more.]( 3. [Andrew Brown Jr. Was Shot In The Back Of His Head, Family Says, Citing Autopsy]( Brown's family commissioned the autopsy after Pasquotank County, N.C., sheriff's deputies shot and killed Brown, a 42-year-old Black man, last Wednesday while carrying out search and arrest warrants at his home in Elizabeth City. [Read more.]( 4. [White House Proposes Massive Spending On Children And Families]( Biden's families plan offers a number of provisions aimed at children and young people, including adding at least four years of free public education — universal preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds and two years of community college — for qualifying Americans. [Read more.]( 5. [Why New Guidelines For Opioid Treatment Are A 'Big Deal']( More medical practitioners are being allowed to prescribe buprenorphine under new guidelines from the Biden administration. The change means that the drug shown to reduce opioid relapses and overdose deaths can be more widely prescribed. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Hero or killer? [Statues of a colonial woman]( Hannah Duston are part of the ongoing debate about racist monuments. - Boston-based producer Sai Boddupalli, who now makes music as Mercet, details the tragedy and triumph of his [new side project, "VIMS."]( - Early on in the pandemic, covering your nose and mouth felt like an emergency. Now, as the end of mask-life dawns, [Anita Diamant wonders]( what we'll remember from this long, strange year. [WBUR] Your Daily Must Listen [Radio Boston | How Walkable Is America's Walking City?]( [Listen]( CLIMATE CRISIS [Report: Air Quality Improving In Mass., Even Before The Pandemic]( The Psychology Of Climate Change — And How To Engage With It. [Listen.]( Opinion: So You're Serious About Climate Change: Vote In Your Local Elections. [Read more.]( Minimize Food Waste In Your Kitchen With Tips, Recipes From Chef Kathy Gunst.[Read more.]( Be the first to know about WBUR's soon-to-come environmental newsletter. [Sign up here.]( What We're Reading - ‘ASSISTANCE NOT APPROVED’ ([The Washington Post]( - After Covid Upended a Dying Woman’s Rome Dream, Her Twin Stepped In ([The New York Times]( - The Coming Conflict Between Introverts And Extroverts ([The Atlantic]( Tell Me Something Good [A Black Runner's Desire To Be Seen Creates Community Pride, Diverse Run Crew]( The 5-mile loop that William Jones III originally mapped out, winding through the area's Black neighborhoods, is now the base of the city's most diverse running group. Jones named the group the Prolyfyck Run Crew after the lyrics in the Nipsey Hussle's "Victory Lap" song. Before you go: They're just [making up names]( at this point. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📨 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news [WBUR]( [95289b97-66e8-43d4-a174-3bc3520a79a9.png]( [Instagram](  [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Want to change how you receive these emails? [Stop getting this newsletter by updating your preferences.]( I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. [Unsubscribe from all editorial newsletters.]( Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here.]( Copyright © 2021 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved. You signed up for this newsletter at wbur.org. Our mailing address is: WBUR-FM 890 Commonwealth AveBoston, MA 02215-1205 [Add us to your address book](