Boston Reports 13,332 City Workers Verified Under COVID Vaccine Mandate

BOSTON — July 22, 2026 — Boston mayor reports 13,332 city workers verified under COVID vaccine-or-test mandate. Joined by Chief of Health and Human Services Marty Martinez, the mayor said at a September 29, 2021 press briefing that phase one of the mandate — covering public-facing workers interacting with children and seniors — began September 20, with two more phases running through October 18. The citywide COVID-19 positivity rate stood at 3 percent, down 1.1 percent over the prior week and below the city's 5 percent threshold; hospitalizations rose from 116 to 125, concentrated among unvaccinated residents. Seventy-two percent of Boston residents had received at least one vaccine dose and nearly 65 percent were fully vaccinated as of September 21. The mayor pushed back on criticism from unnamed municipal officials regarding the regional opioid and homelessness crisis, saying more than 60 percent of Boston's unsheltered population originates from other towns and calling for a state-led comprehensive strategy: "We know that addiction knows no boundary, no zip code, no town lines."