By Sam Minton | Follow me on Twitter @sam_minton22
Fans wishing to see the Boston Bruins play will need to ensure they have their vaccine card. On Monday morning, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced that the city will now require proof of vaccination for indoor dining, indoor fitness venues, and indoor entertainment and recreation establishments starting January 15th, 2022. TD Garden is the largest indoor entertainment building in the city, and they fall into that final category.
“Vaccines are the most powerful tool we have to fight this pandemic. Vaccination saves lives, and closing vaccination gaps is the best way to support and protect our communities, businesses, and cultural institutions during this pandemic,” said Wu. “The vast majority of COVID-related hospitalizations are of unvaccinated individuals, which is impacting our entire healthcare system and compromising the health of our communities. Today’s steps to protect community members in certain indoor establishments and throughout our city workforce will help ensure that everyone in Boston will be safe. City government must take down barriers and direct our resources for easy access to testing and vaccination to protect our city and all of our communities.”
The timeline begins on January 16th, with individuals 12 years and older needing to show proof of vaccination with at least one dose administered to enter the game. On Tuesday, February 15th, fans 12 and up will need to show proof of full immunization (2 doses).
The requirements will be extended to even younger individuals who have just gained access to the vaccine at the beginning of March. On the 1st, children aged 5-12 will be added to the group required to show proof of vaccination. May 1st is when they will need to have both doses administered.
With all but one player in the NHL being unvaccinated (Tyler Bertuzzi), opposing teams won’t have problems complying with the mandate. Still, Boston has also allowed athletes who are unvaccinated to play.
The Bruins will not be playing anytime soon due to rising COVID-19 cases across the NHL. The league announced that the B’s won’t be playing until at least December 26th. Hopefully, by then, Boston will have players such as Brad Marchand, Patrice Bergeron, and Jeremy Swayman available. Boston has also shut down their practice facility.
As of posting, the first game with the policy in place will be on January 18th, when the Bruins host the Carolina Hurricanes. Boston is the eighth team to have been shut down.
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