POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
We’ve created a safety program to help us all stay safe, including screening procedures, cleaning protocols, sanitizer stations, and signage at our facilities.
We call it: Safe for You, Safe for Us. You can learn more about our policies as well as our safety and cleaning protocols below.
Frequently Asked QuestionsCity of Boston Mask Mandate Lifted, Effective March 5, 2022
The City of Boston will be eliminating the mask mandate effective Saturday, March 5th. We will maintain our policy of aligning with local city and state guidelines, meaning beginning on March 5th, members, participants and guests will not be required to wear a mask in our city branches. As we have throughout the pandemic, we will continue to recommend mask wearing, but will not be enforcing for members, participants and guests.
City of Boston Proof of Vaccination Mandate Lifted, Effective February 18, 2022
On February 18, Mayor Wu announced she was lifting the City of Boston’s “B-Together” policy because Boston had met 3 conditions: a 7-day community positivity rate below 5 percent, fewer than 200 Covid-19 related hospitalizations a day, and an intensive care bed occupancy rate of less than 95 percent. On Friday February 18, the city crossed all 3 of those thresholds. The YMCA Of Greater Boston throughout the pandemic has aligned with local city and state guidelines. It is our commitment to serve all throughout our community.
Mask Advisory, effective July 30, 2021
The YMCA of Greater Boston continues to monitor COVID-19 trends and update our Safe for You, Safe for Us protocols. In following the status of COVID-19, including the recent spread of the Delta variant, and considering all CDC and Massachusetts Department of Public Health guidance, we have updated our mask recommendations to align with the State of Massachusetts mask advisory effective July 30.
Fully Vaccinated individuals are advised to wear a mask when indoors outside of your home if you have a weakened immune system, are at increased risk for COVID-19, or if someone in your household is at increased risk or unvaccinated. We encourage all individuals to wear masks but it will not be enforced.
We will continue requiring Y staff to wear masks indoors when community risk levels are considered ‘high’ as determined by the CDC.
What the Y is Doing to Ensure a Safe Environment
The YMCA of Greater Boston continues to monitor COVID-19 trends and follow guidance from the CDC, local health agencies and public officials to update our policies, practices and procedures to ensure the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene and make appropriate accommodations for physical/social distancing. We work cooperatively with local health agencies and the Massachusetts Contact Tracing Collaborative to report COVID-19 incidents. The key measures we take to ensure a safe environment include:
- Installation of large air purifiers/filtration systems to supplement existing building mechanical systems for increased filtration beyond the minimum standards for buildings
- Mask requirement when indoors for all Y staff when community risk level is ‘high’ as determined by the CDC.
- Safety Self-Screenings for Members, Program Participants and Team Members
- Newly Configured spaces at our Y’s to ensure physical distancing
- When the weather makes it possible, we open windows to increase air turnover to improve air quality
- Increased Cleaning & Disinfecting Protocols
- Following local health agencies and MA Contact Tracing Collaborative guidance in the event of a COVID-19 exposure
- Created a YMCA of Greater Boston Safety Team dedicated to reviewing data and consulting with health and safety officials to make consistent improvements to our safety protocols
- Outdoor group exercise classes and youth sports classes
- Virtual access to critical programs on our YMCA Go platform to promote and maintain health
- Active and frequent communication to keep you informed and safe
