Salem Halloween 2021: Tourists Welcome, But Mask Up Indoors

SALEM, MA — A year after Salem officials made the painful and unprecedented decision to tell tourists to "stay away" for Halloween, the holiday's unofficial hometown is once again opening its arms to visitors during the spooky season as long as they are willing to mask up indoors.

Mayor Kim Driscoll said during a Monday virtual forum with business owners that the city is not anticipating any further coronavirus-related restrictions at this time beyond the indoor mask mandate that took effect on Aug. 23 and is scheduled to run through Nov. 13.

"Obviously, the virus will have some impact on that," Driscoll said. "But based on what we are seeing it doesn't look like any of these additional mitigation measures may be necessary."

Salem officials said they are looking to work with any businesses on enforcing the mask mandate and with any other virus mitigation measures — including vaccinations — that they want to undertake.

Health Agent David Greenbaum said the city is not, at this time, considering a universal vaccine passport or mandate to enter businesses or attend holiday events.

He said there will be spot checks to verify indoor mask compliance throughout the next two months.

"We'll be giving warnings and if you have continued violations that could lead to a fine," he said. "But we're hoping to avoid that."

Unlike last year, there will be no capacity limits inside businesses, no gathering restrictions and no mask mandate outdoors. Masks are required for both patrons and performers at indoor entertainment venues and holiday-themed indoor events, as well as restaurants and bars when customers are not seated.

"The Board (of Health) is very cognizant of the difficulties that were in place last year," Greenbaum said. "And what it took to work through that. I think they are very, very cognizant of the impacts that had on businesses. So they are trying to do the things in a stepping-stone process to go from the least impactful to the most impactful. The hope is that we never get to the restrictions that were the most impactful."

Driscoll said the city is bringing back its "mask ambassadors" this year, but rather than enforcing an outdoor mandate as was the case last summer and fall, the ambassadors will be working with visitors and businesses to help provide masks and anything else they need to keep their indoor areas safe.

Salem Hospital President David Roberts said as of Monday there were 11 patients at the hospital with coronavirus-related illnesses and two in the intensive-care unit. He said 89.3 percent of hospital staff is currently vaccinated against the virus, with 100 percent compliance required as of Oct. 15.

"Vaccination is the answer," he said. "Everything else is mitigation."

He added that those hospital staff members who remain unvaccinated will be terminated in October and are unlikely to find employment in the health care industry.

"If you are a nurse you won't find a place to work if you are unvaccinated," he said.

City and school employees must be vaccinated as well or submit to twice-weekly testing. Driscoll has asked private businesses with employees who interact with the public to put in place similar vaccine-or-test guidelines and said on Monday the city will help promote businesses that do so as part of its "Keep Salem Safe, Open and Strong" campaign.

While the city is in line with high statewide vaccination rates in general, Greenbaum said it is below the state average with 16- to 29-year-olds, of which only 61 percent have been vaccinated. Salem Superintendent of Schools Steve Zrike said last week he is concerned because the rate among 16- to 19-year-olds is only 50 percent.

"That's not high enough," he said. "We need more students to be vaccinated."

Roberts said that he expects cases to increase as the weather gets colder and people move indoors more often this fall, but that the hope is high vaccination rates will cut down on hospitalizations and cases of severe illness.

"I don't mean to be the voice of doom," he said. "But once we go inside when it gets cold — given how easily the (delta variant) gets spread, our numbers are going to up. There is no question about it.

"I would be so grateful to any business that would take the vaccine pledge. It would be just great. I personally would go into stores that said all of our folks here are vaccinated. I think that would be a draw."

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(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.)

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