😷 The end of a COVID era

It's Monday, Boston

🎉 And it’s B-Side reader Alett’s birthday! HBD, Alett. 

📚 Also, need a book rec? In honor of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month, the BPL just released a booklist of staff picks highlighting Asian American authors and stories.

👀 What’s on tap today:

• A beautiful weather week

• TJ’s Two Buck Chuck

• Good burger extras

Up first...

HEALTHCARE

Prepare for COVID changes

This week marks the end of a COVID era. Federal and state COVID-19 public health emergencies expire Thursday, meaning the government will take a back seat in the disease’s mitigation and management. 

Here’s what’s going to change: 

😷 You may see fewer masks in healthcare and hospital settings. The end of the public health emergency means the end of federal masking mandates in healthcare facilities. Starting Friday, major hospitals like Boston Medical Center, Mass General Brigham, and Beth Israel Lahey Health will lift their mask mandates. Many hospitals cited factors like declining case numbers and increased access to treatment behind their decisions. But some advocates worry it will put older and immunocompromised folks at high risk for complications if infected. 

📈 COVID data may be a little less reliable. The CDC plans to significantly reduce the amount of COVID-related data hospitals must report and move the reporting frequency from daily to weekly. They’ll also stop regularly tracking and releasing the number of new infections as states will no longer be required to report new cases (also because at-home testing has made that metric less reliable). Instead, the CDC will rely on the number of people hospitalized with COVID to measure how much the virus is spreading. So it’s likely best to keep your eyes on the wastewater data for now. 

👃 No more free at-home COVID tests through your health insurance. Health insurers will no longer be required to cover eight rapid antigen tests per member per month starting Friday. And while they still technically could if they wanted to, the state’s big three health insurers — Blue Cross Blue Shield, Tufts Health Plan, and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care — will not. Instead, they’ll only cover the tests if a doctor orders them. That said, folks on Medicaid programs, including MassHealth, will still have their tests covered through Sept. 30, 2024. 

📉 The public health emergencies may be ending, but COVID isn’t. Since Mass. began tracking COVID data in early 2020, over 22,600 confirmed deaths have been reported, over 2 million cases have been tallied, over 50 million PCR tests administered, and over 6.7 million residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine. On Thursday, the state Dept. of Public Health reported 897 new cases over the last week, 172 hospitalized patients, and 14 deaths.

CITY

Quick & dirty headlines

☀️ You’re going to want to get outside. Mother Nature’s reward for suffering through last week’s rain and clouds is a week of glorious spring weather. The forecast through Sunday looks absolutely beautiful: dry, mostly sunny skies, and temps in the 60s and 70s. Friday is looking the warmest, with a potential high of 77. And it looks like we may see this trend next week, too. Not too hot, not too cool, but just right. Perfect patio weather. 

🍷 Two Buck Chuck might be coming to Back Bay. The Boston Licensing Board just approved a package store and liquor license for a proposed new Trader Joe’s location on Boylston St. The massive, 16,000+ square-foot store would be located about four blocks from the already existing Trader Joe’s on Boylston, which bills itself as “The Smallest Trader Joe’s in the Known Universe.” According to the Trader Joe’s press office, they thankfully have no plans to close the teeny TJ’s. 

🚂 Swifties have bad blood with the Commuter Rail. As if Swifties didn’t have enough issues with sold out tickets, the MBTA decided to pile on. Commuter Rail tickets to Gillette Stadium for Swift’s three May concerts sold out online before 8:30 a.m. on Friday, and paper tickets purchased in-station were sold out by 1:15 p.m. Some fans are asking the Commuter Rail to add more trains to the schedule, as there’s only one round trip from Boston and Providence running each night (me being one of them). 

😢 One of the Boston-area’s favorite townie bars is closing. After 75 years of service, Sligo Pub, an iconic local haunt in Davis Square, will be closing its doors in early June. While they didn’t share the reason behind their closure, this news doesn’t come as a surprise. Somerville’s Planning Board approved plans for a mixed-use building last fall that would displace many Davis Square businesses (including Sligo). Sligo Manager Kelly Melin told Boston.com at the time that the displacement would likely result in permanent closure.

QUICK POLL!

🎤 Going to the Eras Tour? Tell us how you’re getting there!

THINGS TO DO

Weekday plans

🚣 Go kayaking or paddleboarding on the Charles. Paddle Boston opened for the season on Sunday!

🍝 Chow down on gluten-free eats at Capo with a special collab with Boston chef and restaurateur Ken Oringer. 

🍸 Sip on Taylor Swift cocktails at the Liberty. They’re a bit of a splurge, but definitely on theme ahead of the Eras Tour.

🎞️ Catch free screenings of Harry Belefonte films at the Brattle Theater’s tribute to the late great actor, musician, and activist. 

🪐 Spend a night at the museum at MIT’s monthly Museum After Dark party. This month’s theme is all things outer space.

ONE LAST THING

Welcome to Rhode Island, home of the Good Burger! 

If going to Good Burger was your childhood dream, now’s your chance.

The sequel to the iconic 1997 Nickelodeon movie starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell is filming in Rhode Island this month. If you want to be part of it, we have good news: Boston Casting is looking for 150 extras to work in the background. 

As for location specifics, an old Friendly’s Restaurant in North Providence will transform into the actual Good Burger storefront. Other shoots will film in East Providence, downtown Providence, Warwick and East Greenwich. I bet a Good Burger would pair perfectly with an Awful Awful.

🍔 Thanks for reading! ’90s babies, it’s our time to shine.

🏥 The results are in! And they were pretty close. 54% of respondents from Friday’s poll think hospitals doing away with their masking requirements is a bad idea and puts patients at risk. The other 46% think at this point in the pandemic, it should be the hospital’s call.

💃 Keep up with us @BostonBSide on IG, TikTok, and Twitter. Send comments and suggestions to [email protected].