Boston Club To Enforce COVID Vaccination Requirement for Entry

In what may be the first move for LGBTQ Boston businesses, Jacques' Cabaret – a popular nightclub that caters to drag performers – announced that "it has made changes to its COVID-19 protocols due to the recent rise in positive cases and the growing presence of the delta variant," reports Boston television station WCVB.

Per the news outlet, "Starting on Aug. 6, patrons of Jacque's Cabaret on Broadway Street will have to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination if they want to avoid wearing a face covering indoors."

The announcement comes as cases in the state continue to rise. On Monday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported an additional 1,243 confirmed COVID-19 cases, a number that included three days' worth of data from Friday through Sunday. That was an increase of 500 cases over the previous week.

"We're still in the middle of the pandemic, whether people want to admit it or not," said James Gracik, the producer who books the performers at Jacques' Cabaret and instituted the new face mask policy. "I'm going to do everything I can to keep my shows safe because at the end of the day, I don't want to be responsible for any audience member, cast member, bar patron or worker getting sick."

The news comes after the LGBTQ resort community of Provincetown imposed new mask mandates after being labeled a COVID-19 cluster following a spike in new cases after the July 4 weekend.