Somerville Keeping Business Capacity Limits At 25% Despite State Increasing To 40%
SOMERVILLE (CBS) - Despite Gov. Charlie Baker announcing this week that restaurants, gyms and some other businesses across Massachusetts will be allowed to increase capacity from 25% to 40% starting Monday, businesses in Somerville will remain at 25% capacity.
Somerville's Deputy Director of Communications Meghann Ackerman wrote in a statement on Friday that the city will not raise capacity limits for certain businesses for the foreseeable future.
"Capacity limits in Somerville businesses will remain at 25% or the limit set in the business's City-approved health and safety plan until further notice," Ackerman said.
Ackermann also said the Somerville will continue to limit attendance at outdoor gatherings to 10 people until further notice. The limit in Somerville will apply to both indoor and outdoor gatherings.
For the rest of the state starting Monday, the gathering limit for indoor events will remain at 10 people but can expand to 25 for outdoor events. The changes for capacity limits come as a result of improving COVID numbers across the state in recent weeks.
Among the entities allowed to increase capacity to 40% are restaurants, gyms, stores, arcades, libraries, museums, offices, places of worship, driving ranges and movies theaters.