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From YouTube: Covid-19 Media Availability 8-20-21
Description
Boston Mayor Kim Janey hosts a media availability to discuss updates relating to COVID-19.
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As
I
have
communicated
over
the
past
several
weeks,
the
delta
variant
has
emerged
as
the
dominant
strain
of
covet
19
across
our
country,
including
here
in
boston.
The
delta
variant
spreads
faster
and
is
easier
to
catch.
As
a
result,
we
have
seen
public
health
metrics
trend
up
over
the
past
several
weeks.
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I
want
to
thank
my
dedicated
team
of
cabinet
chiefs
and
their
staff,
who
all
helped
to
roll
out
a
robust
plan
to
protect
all
boston
residents
from
the
devastation
of
covet
19..
I
also
want
to
thank
the
hospital
ceos
that
I've
met
with
for
their
engagement
in
this
work.
Boston
will
continue
to
lead
the
region
and
the
nation
in
our
response
to
the
pandemic.
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This
response
includes
a
five-point
plan
for
mitigating
the
impact
of
the
delta
variant,
including
number
one,
equitable
vaccine
and
booster
access
for
everyone.
We
know
vaccines
are
the
best
way
to
protect
ourselves
and
those
around
us.
Boston
has
become
one
of
the
most
vaccinated
large
cities
in
our
country
because
of
the
work
that
we
have
done
together.
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This
is
a
sign
of
the
progress
that
we
are
making
together
number
two:
a
vaccine
mandate
for
city
and
workers
by
the
end
of
august,
all
city,
employees,
contractors
and
volunteers
will
be
required
to
verify
their
vaccination
status
through
a
secure,
centralized
digital
portal.
We
engaged
cabinet
chiefs,
department,
heads
and
labor
leaders
in
the
discussion
as
we
developed
a
worker-centered
approach,
beginning
with
our
employees,
who
work
with
high
priority
populations
like
our
school
staff,
number
three
new
hvac
investments
for
our
schools.
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We
marked
the
reopening
of
our
schools
in
the
spring
and
we're
preparing
for
another
safe
school
year
of
in-person
learning,
along
with
the
dedicated
work
of
our
school
teachers,
custodians
bus
drivers
and
administrators.
We
must
continue
to
invest
in
healthy
school
buildings.
We
are
committing
30
million
dollars
to
improve
heating
ventilation
and
air
conditioning
in
our
school
buildings.
Over
the
coming
school
year,
number
four:
a
mask
mandate
for
schools
and
city
buildings.
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This
public
mass
mandate
will
help
limit
transmission
of
the
delta
variant
and
boost
public
confidence
that
is
essential
to
our
continued
economic
recovery.
I
commend
the
venues
and
the
businesses
that
have
already
adopted
their
own
mask
requirements.
This
new
public
health
order
makes
wearing
a
mask
simple,
clear
and
consistent
across
the
city.
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So
our
economic
development
office,
our
small
business
team,
as
well
as
our
licensing
board,
will
be
working
with
different
venues
on
how
to
best
comply.
The
good
news
here
is
that
we
have
seen
over
the
last
several
weeks
as
cases
have
increased
and
the
delta
variant
became
dominant
people
are
already
starting
to
do
the
right
thing
with
mass.
We
want
to
certainly
encourage
more
of
that
and
make
sure
that
all
venues
understand
how
to
best
get
compliance
and
be
compliant
with
the
city's
new
mass
mandate.
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That
may
be
part
of
it,
but
that
will
come
through
the
work
of
the
office
of
economic
development
and
certainly
the
licensing
board
what
metrics
did
or
what
thresholds
did
the
city
hit
to
get
to
this
point?
Were
there
any
specific
marks?
Well,
we
have
seen
an
increase
of
positivity
in
terms
of
the
rate.
The
good
news
is
that
for
covert
related
hospitalizations,
they
are
still
well
below
the
threshold
well
below
what
they
were,
even
when
we
reopened
the
city
last
may.
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What
we
know
will
happen,
though,
is
an
influx
of
people
into
our
city,
50
000
college
students
from
across
the
world,
our
own
50
000
students
going
back
into
the
classroom,
different
people
coming
back
into
the
workplace
after
labor
day,
and
we
want
to
do
all
we
can
with
this
delta
variant.
That
we
know
is
much
more
easy
to
transmit
from
person
to
person,
and
we
know
that
mass
can
slow
the
spread.
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We
are
not
going
backwards,
we
are
looking
forward.
We
are
making
sure
that
we
are
doing
everything
to
protect
residents
and,
as
we
want
to
continue
to
keep
our
city
open
and
make
sure
that
we
have
an
economic
recovery
that
is
strong
and
robust.
We
know
that
that
is
directly
tied
to
the
public
health
response.