Salem Chamber Calls For End To City Vaccination-Proof Entry Order

SALEM, MA — The Salem Chamber of Commerce is "strongly urging" the Board of Health to repeal the proof-of-vaccination order for entry into city bars, restaurants, gyms, museums, theaters and other entertainment venues that went into effect just two weeks ago.

Chamber Executive Director Rinus Oosthoek wrote in the Chamber's weekly newsletter that it is making the request "based on the current data and trends in the number of cases, the number of direct COVID-related hospitalizations as well as the fact that Salem has become even more of an island on the North Shore in terms of COVID measures."

The Chamber argues that none of the other North Shore cities and towns considered a vaccine mandate after Salem was quick to follow Boston's lead in voting one in late December. Since then, only Brookline has issued a similar mandate in Massachusetts.

Mayor Kim Driscoll, who publicly supported the vaccination-proof order as the latest in what has been an aggressive approach to coronavirus mitigation measures over the past two years, allowed during a virtual forum with businesses in January that Salem was unlikely to gain support from its North Shore neighbors on the requirement.

"I know that every surrounding community is not going to implement something like this," Driscoll said. "That certainly would be easier (if they did). We would welcome the opportunity for this to be implemented regionally.

"But I feel our Board of Health and our community is looking at our data and thinks that we need to act. Because everybody is not going to act is not going to put us in a position to do nothing."

Salem recently offered a $500 bonus to new and existing staff members of affected businesses as an incentive program during the first weeks of the vaccination order.

"I know not everyone is supportive of this," Driscoll said during the business forum. "But I hope you understand it isn't desired that it is going to be punitive to you. In fact, we really want to work hard to ensure that as we work to protect the public health we're doing everything we can to support businesses."

Salem was also one of several North Shore communities to reinstate a mask order for indoor public spaces in late December and early January, but Oosthoek noted that Beverly's Board of Health voted unanimously on Monday to drop that order as of midnight on Wednesday just four weeks after it went into effect.

Last week, Peabody's Board of Health voted to extend that city's order at least another three weeks before revisiting it. The Salem Board of Health is next scheduled to meet on Tuesday night.

The state Department of Public Health reported 1,799 COVID-related hospitalizations statewide as of Wednesday — about a 40 percent drop from the peak earlier in January. The seven-day weighted positive test rate of 6.37 percent is down nearly three-quarters from the high of 23.5 percent at the start of the new year.

"Impacted businesses are hurting, are losing future business, and financial aid is non-existent," Oosthoek said. "It is time to end the mandate."

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)