Governor Charlie Baker urged Bay Staters to dine again and launched a campaign claiming he would not end the rise in federal unemployment prematurely.
“Go to your favorite restaurant – go out, give something back, enjoy and smile,” said the governor, smiling a big grin cat grin at the accumulated press.
Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, incumbent Mayor Kim Janey, spoke at Mida Restaurant in the South End on Friday, where a hodgepodge of other officials including State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz, Economic Development Secretary Mike Kenneally and State Representative John Santiago, who is also running for mayor, was gathering.
“We want to keep helping them get back to where they were, so we announced the launch of the ‘Let’s go out’ marketing campaign – to remind people what it was like to go out to eat. Make memories with friends and family and really enjoy everything our restaurants in Massachusetts have to offer this summer and beyond, ”said Baker.
He said this “will continue to look a little different,” with more alfresco dining and other changes such as virtual menus likely to continue. Restaurants are no longer required by state law to make vaccinated people wear masks, but Baker urged people to respect the rules of the various establishments.
Officials praised MIDA’s award-winning restaurateur Douglas Williams for telling the assembled press to go out and eat.
“Now that we have that ability, we have to do that – and everything is just around the corner,” he said.
As part of the recent incentives, unemployed people will receive an additional $ 300 per week through the end of summer. Some have said that this prevents people from going out and looking for work, which leads to labor shortages. Most Republican governors have eliminated bonus money in their states for this reason.
When asked Friday, Baker said he hadn’t planned to do this and said he was counting on government efforts to combine unemployment benefits with return to work programs.
“I would love to see if we can get this work-sharing program up and running because I think this is a better way for a lot of people to be comfortable,” said Baker.
