Vaccine mandate brings stress, deal and criticism to city rinks

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As the Covid-19 vaccine mandate – people aged 12 and over had to prove they had a dose of the vaccine to enter various establishments – was set to descend on the city last Saturday, it wasn’t just restaurants, reception halls and coffee shops confronted with the situation; there was a lot of anxiety at Boston rinks, including at Dorchester’s Devine Rink.

This angst, fueled by numerous calls and emails from parents, led to last-minute pressure from many Dorchester elected officials to clarify and exempt the rinks from the mandate, which the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) and the Mayor Michelle Wu agreed to do so late Friday afternoon.

“The mandate was never intended to include youth sports and we just asked in our letter to clarify that by adding ‘ice rinks’ so it’s fair for everyone,” Councilwoman Erin said. Murphy. “It was a mistake, and we were able to clarify that on Friday, and the Wu administration agreed. It made no sense that children up to the 12th grade could participate and be exempted for a school activity, but n Were not exempt from the same activity in the same place if it was not for school.

Murphy added that it was a quick fix. “I don’t think it’s as controversial as some people want it to be,” she said. “It’s our job, to be proactive and have those conversations and watch what’s written and what it really means.”

Ricardo Patrón, a spokesperson for Wu, said Monday that the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), which owns most of Boston’s rinks, approached them on Friday with concerns about how to apply the mandate on Saturday. He said after a few conversations, DCR and city officials agreed that DCR facilities were exempt from the ordinance.

In addition to Murphy, those who signed the letter asking for clarification included advisers Michael Flaherty, Ed Flynn, Frank Baker, State Senator Nick Collins and State Representatives Dan Hunt and David Biele.

The mandate, announced last year, includes several exemptions, including city community centers, senior centers and public and nonprofit schools in pre-K through 12th grade. There hadn’t been much elaboration on the matter, and the details regarding the rinks weren’t really discussed until the last minute.

Many members of the city’s youth hockey leagues, such as Dorchester Youth Hockey (DYH), and the various hockey club organizations that play frequently at Boston rinks had assumed they were unaffected by the mandate. due to the exemption of high school sports and community centers. However, last Thursday night, the DCR sent out communications to city leagues stating that they would require a vaccination card from parents and players aged 12 and over on January 15.

Murphy said the advisory has caused a lot of stress for parents and young players – even though many of the teams are vaccinated. She said the phone calls came in fast and furiously on Friday.

“Concerns ranged from sadness to frustration from those who said they didn’t want to have to tell their kids that another game or game is off because the other team won’t be coming to Boston,” said said Murphy. “Many wondered if it even made sense logistically.” She noted that a Framingham-based team called off a game rather than come to Boston and be subject to the warrant in the rinks.

However, the decision to exempt the rink did not sound very popular on social networks and in the public square. While many of those directly affected were relieved by the clarification, others thought the pressure was a mistake and a missed opportunity to get children vaccinated.

As of Jan. 6, according to the state’s Department of Public Health (DPH), youth vaccination rates in Boston were estimated to be low, with 66% of 12- to 15-year-olds receiving a first dose and 24% of 5- to 5 years. 11 having a first dose, and 46 percent of those aged 16 to 19 having a first dose.

Rosemary Powers, president of Dorchester’s Cristo Rey Boston School, said she didn’t mean to criticize the exemption, but in her school’s experience, requiring a vaccine to play sports is a good way to “move the needle” on low vaccination rates among young people.

Savin Hill’s Cristo Rey serves around 210 students in Dorchester and surrounding neighborhoods, and they’ve used a ‘carrot and stick’ approach to boost their vaccination rates and keep their school open throughout the pandemic. She noted that they have had no serious outbreaks since the pandemic began and said that by using ongoing one-on-one vaccine education with families and requiring a vaccine for students to participate in sports and extracurriculars, they took their vaccination rate among college students from 42 percent to 94 percent.

“We said if it’s important for our community to be safe, it’s important that we get vaccinated,” she said. “We did not require vaccination to come to school in Cristo Rey, but we do require vaccination for students to participate in sports or extracurricular activities… Children love to play sports and they love our clubs. So, we said that anyone wishing to participate in extracurricular activities must be vaccinated. It made the needle move.

Murphy said the rink issue was only about consistency, not vaccine resistance or mandate.

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