Businesses
Category |
When you can reopen |
Additional comments |
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All businesses deemed essential by previous orders |
Currently allowed |
These businesses will be required to comply with Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards and any applicable sector specific safety protocols / best practices by May 25, 2020. |
|
Banks |
Currently allowed |
These businesses will be required to comply with Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards and any applicable sector specific safety protocols / best practices by May 25, 2020. |
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Financial services |
Currently allowed |
These businesses will be required to comply with Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards and any applicable sector specific safety protocols / best practices by May 25, 2020. |
|
In house services (such as nannies, babysitting) |
Currently allowed |
These businesses will be required to comply with Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards and any applicable sector specific safety protocols / best practices by May 25, 2020. |
|
Real estate open houses |
Currently allowed with restrictions |
These businesses will be required to comply with Mandatory Workplace Safety Standards and any applicable sector specific safety protocols / best practices by May 25, 2020. |
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Construction |
Phase 1 – May 18 |
All construction businesses, please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Firearm retailers and shooting ranges |
Phase 1 – May 18 |
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Home remodeling |
Phase 1 – May 18 |
All construction businesses, please refer to detailed guidance for reopening (includes guidance for remodeling in 1-3 family residences) |
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In home installations |
Phase 1 – May 18, construction related Phase 2 – non construction related |
Construction related – e.g., painting, repairs, etc. Non construction related – e.g., carpet installation, home theaters, security systems |
|
Manufacturing |
Phase 1 – May 18 |
All manufacturing businesses, please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Places of worship |
Phase 1 – May 18 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Auto dealers and wholesalers |
Phase 1 – May 25 for curbside pickup and delivery only Phase 2 – browsing inside the showroom with restrictions |
Follow guidelines for non-essential retail and car dealerships found in the Essential Services FAQ
Please refer to retail guidance for Phase 2 |
|
Car washes |
Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Drive-in movie theaters |
Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Hair salons / barbershops |
Phase 1 – May 25 |
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General office spaces |
Phase 1 - May 25 except City of Boston Phase 1 – June 1 City of Boston
|
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Lab space |
Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Libraries |
Phase 1 – May 25 for curbside pickup and delivery only Phase 3 – open for browsing |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Pet grooming |
Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Retail Stores, including stores in malls |
Phase 1 – May 25 for curbside pickup and delivery only Phase 2 – browsing inside the store with restrictions |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening in Phase 2 |
|
Casinos |
Hotel & Restaurants – Phase 2 Gaming floors – Phase 3 (Guidance) Theaters / arenas – Phase 3/4 |
Casinos and hotels attached to them should follow the guidelines for each section of the property (e.g. hotel, restaurants, etc.). |
|
Horse racing tracks and simulcast facilities |
Phase 3 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
|
Driving schools |
Currently allowed to offer classroom instruction online Phase 2 – behind-the-wheel training |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Occupational Schools |
Phase 2 – for the limited purposes of permitting students to complete a degree, program, or prerequisite for employment, or other similar requirement for completion |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Hotels, motels, inns, and other short-term lodgings |
Currently open to provide services to essential workers and vulnerable populations.
Phase 2 – reopen to serve other guests with restrictions |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Personal services that don’t involve close personal contact (such as photography, window washers, career coaching) |
Phase 2 |
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Close contact personal services (such as massage therapy, nail salons, tattoo parlors, electrolysis studios) |
Phase 2 – Step 2 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Personal trainers |
Phase 2 – as a close contact personal service in Step 2 Phase 3 – may reopen with Fitness Centers and Gyms |
Phase 2 – Appointment-only training with only one customer (or two from the same household) allowed in the facility at a time Phase 3 – Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Restaurants |
Phase 1 – can continue to offer takeout and delivery options Phase 2 – outdoor seating permitted in Step 1, indoor seating permitted in Step 2 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Amusement parks, theme parks, indoor or outdoor water parks |
Phase 4 |
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Fitness centers and health clubs |
Phase 3 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Saunas, hot-tubs, steam rooms at health clubs, gyms, and other facilities |
Phase 4 |
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Movie theaters |
Phase 3 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Museums |
Phase 3 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Aquariums |
Phase 3 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Theaters and performance venues (such as concert halls) |
Phase 3 – outdoor only in Step 1; indoor in Step 2 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening Large performance venues will open in Phase 4 following guidance for other large venues. |
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Large capacity venues used for group or spectator sports, entertainment, business, and cultural events (such as stadiums and arenas, dance floors, exhibition and convention halls) |
Phase 4 |
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Flight schools |
Phase 2 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Beer gardens / breweries / wineries / distilleries |
Phase 2: if providing seated food service under retail food permits issued by municipal authorities Phase 4: if not providingseated food service under retail food permits issued by municipal authorities
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Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening in Phase 2 |
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Bars, dance clubs, and nightclubs |
Phase 4 |
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Non-athletic instructional classes in arts / education / life skills |
Phase 2 – youths under 18 years of age, in groups of fewer than 10 Phase 3 – people of all ages |
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Funeral homes |
Phase 2 |
40% capacity limit; one service at a time in the facility |
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Warehouses and distribution centers |
Phase 2 |
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Outdoor event spaces used for gatherings and celebrations such as weddings, including those in parks, reservations, and other outdoor spaces not designated as Phase 4 |
Phase 3 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
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Motion picture, television and streaming production | Phase 3 |
Activities that have been authorized to reopen in earlier phases (e.g. office work, construction) may open in those phases |
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Fraternal Orders and social clubs, including veterans' groups |
Phase 2 if providing seated service of food prepared on-site under retail food permits issued by municipal authorities, following restaurant protocols (outdoor table service is permitted as of June 8, and indoor table service will be permitted in step 2) Phase 3 if hosting an event in accordance with Indoor and Outdoor Events guidance Phase 4 if serving as a large capacity venue used for group or spectator events Phase 4 if serving as a bar All other uses are subject Covid-19 Order No. 44, which limits gatherings in enclosed indoor spaces to 25 people. |
Recreation & outdoors
Category |
When you can reopen |
Additional comments |
Beaches |
Open with restrictions in Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Golf facilities including outdoor driving ranges |
Phase 2 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Parks |
Services/facilities will reopen in Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Fishing, hunting and boating |
Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Outdoor adventure activities (including ski area summer activities, zip-lines, and mountain biking) |
Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Outdoor gardens, zoos, wildlife reserves and nature centers |
Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Camps including sports and arts camps |
Phase 2 – recreational day camps Phase 4 – overnight camps (Summer 2021) |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Limited organized youth and adult amateur sports programs and activities |
Phase 2 – outdoor only for adults, indoor for supervised youth programs and activities Phase 3 – indoor and outdoor for all ages, with limitations |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Professional sports practice and training programs |
Phase 2 |
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Other outdoor recreational facilities (pools, playgrounds, spray decks, mini golf, go karts, batting cages, climbing walls) |
Phase 2 |
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Other indoor recreation (such as batting cages, driving ranges, go karts, bowling alleys, arcades, laser tag, roller skating rinks, trampolines, rock-climbing) |
Phase 3 – Step 1: activities with low potential for contact (batting cages, driving ranges, go karts, bowling alleys, rock-climbing walls); As of 9/17, arcades Phase 3 – Step 2: activities with greater potential for contact (laser tag, roller skating, trampolines, obstacle courses) Phase 4 – “ball pits” |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Sightseeing and other organized tours (bus tours, duck tours, harbor cruises, whale watching) |
Phase 3 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Historical spaces / sites |
Phase 2 – outdoor venues Phase 3 – indoor venues |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Cruise ships |
N/A |
Operating under federal guidance, No Sail order currently in effect |
Outdoor fitness classes |
Phase 1 – May 25 |
Please refer to detailed guidance for reopening |
Fishing and hunting tournaments and other amateur or professional derbies |
Phase 3 |
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Street Festivals, Parades and Agricultural Festivals |
Phase 4 |
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Road races and other large, outdoor organized amateur or professional group athletic events |
Phase 4 |
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Overview of Four-Phase Approach
The goal of the phased reopening plan is to methodically allow businesses, services, and activities to resume, while avoiding a resurgence of COVID-19 that could overwhelm our healthcare system and erase the progress we’ve made so far.
- Each phase will last a minimum of three weeks and could last longer before moving to the next phase
- If public health data trends are negative, specific industries, regions, and/or the entire Commonwealth may need to return to an earlier phase
- The Commonwealth will partner with industries to draft Sector-Specific Protocols in advance of future phases (example: restaurant specific protocols will be drafted in advance of Phase 2)
- If we all work together to defeat COVID-19, we can proceed through each phase
Four phases to reopening

- Stay at Home. Essential business and services only.
- Phase 1: Start. Limited industries resume operations with severe restrictions.
- Phase 2: Cautious. Additional industries resume operations with restrictions and capacity limitations.
- Phase 3: Vigilant. Additional industries resume operations with guidance.
- Phase 4: New Normal. Development of vaccines and / or treatments enable resumption of "new normal".
General Business Downloads and Resources
Information to help businesses meet the self-certification requirement to reopen. All businesses must meet these requirements before reopening.
- COVID-19 control plan template – Template that satisfies the written control plan requirement for self-certification
- Compliance attestation poster – Poster that businesses are required to print, sign, and post in an area within the business premises that is visible to workers and visitors
- Employer and Worker posters – Posters that businesses can print and display within the business premises to describe the rules for maintaining social distancing, hygiene protocols, and cleaning and disinfecting
Additional Resources
Last updated: | September 26, 2020 |
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