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Massachusetts Will No Longer Require Stores To Offer 'Senior Hours' For 60+ Shoppers

BOSTON (CBS) -- Massachusetts is relaxing a number of coronavirus restrictions starting Monday, May 10. One change addresses "senior hours" that have been required at grocery stores and retailers with a pharmacy since the beginning of the pandemic.

For the past year, those stores had been ordered to provide at least one hour per day in the early morning that was reserved for shoppers who were over 60 years old, because that population was more vulnerable to the virus. But Gov. Charlie Baker's administration is dropping the mandate starting Monday.

"Grocery stores and retail stores with a pharmacy department should consider dedicated hours of operation for seniors, but will no longer be required to offer senior hours," Baker's office said in a statement.

Those over 60 years old were among the first groups to be vaccinated in Massachusetts, and new coronavirus cases among older adults have been on the decline.

Baker also announced that the state was moving forward with the easing of restrictions in other areas Monday, including expanded capacity at amusement parks and sporting venues, as well as allowing indoor singing performances to resume.

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