The Somerville Board of Health nixed the proposed vaccine mandate that would require patrons of various indoor venues to show proof of vaccination to gain entry and be served.

By Fernando Cervantes Jr.

On Thursday of last week, the Somerville Board of Health held a vote on a vaccine mandate for the city. The Board subsequently rejected this proposal in a 2-1 vote.

During the previous weeks’ meeting, when the vote was originally slated to be held, it had to be abandoned and rescheduled due to a protest organized by Diana Ploss of Peabody.

According to Board of Health Chairman Brian Green, these vaccine mandates are less effective than having to mask and test regularly. “This policy is a really good idea for what we’re facing with Delta, and I’m worried that it’s less of a good policy for Omicron,” Green said.

The proposed plan required patrons at restaurants, bars and other indoor venues to show proof of vaccination. This mandate is similar to ones in place in cities like New York and Boston.

After the vote from the Board of Health, Major Katjana Ballantyne gave a statement regarding the vote and future steps the current administration seeks to take to deal with the pandemic. “The important takeaway from last night’s hearing is that the Board and the city are in agreement that vaccination is critical to getting this virus under control,” Ballantyne said. “Naturally, we were hoping the Board would support the proposed requirement, but I respect their decision.”

Although the vaccine mandate was not passed by the Board of Health, many businesses in the city already have a vaccine mandate and will not be affected.

Ian Judge, Creative Director for the Somerville Theatre, spoke on the theater’s current mandate. “We already have a proof of vaccination requirement in place,” Judge said. “This is for two reasons: the first is that the majority of artists who are appearing at our theater require it and we must have a consistent policy, and the second is that it is clear that the majority of our customers feel better with the policy in place.”

When asked if having a vaccine mandate at the theater would drive business away, Judge talked about how the Somerville Theatre’s audience is mostly receptive to a mandate. “On the contrary, we have found that our core audience is more cautious than most, so most of our customers have been very vocal about thanking us for it,” Judge said.