Fenway Park COVID Vaccine Site To Close; Operations Shifting To Hynes Convention Center
BOSTON (CBS) – The mass vaccination site at Fenway Park will close in the coming weeks with operations transitioning to Hynes Convention Center at the end of the month, Gov. Charlie Baker announced on Thursday.
The last day Fenway Park will offer COVID vaccine doses will be March 27.
CIC Health, which operates mass vaccination sites around Massachusetts, will start accepting patients at Hynes Convention Center on March 18. The two sites will both be open for several weeks before Fenway closes.
Red Sox opening day is scheduled for April 1. To date, more than 25,000 vaccinations have been administered at the historic ballpark. That number is expected to grow to more than 55,000 by the time the site closes down.
Anyone who is or has been vaccinated at Fenway Park and has a second appointment scheduled will be able to receive their second dose at Hynes Convention Center. They will receive an email with details.
Baker said it did not make sense to the state to have the vaccination site running while the Red Sox were playing games and practicing when the season gets underway. The team will be allowed to have fans in the stands at 12% capacity to start the year.
"To have ballplayers in the park at the same time you have people in the park who were there for a different purpose, we just felt was a little more complicated than that we felt was appropriate," Baker said. "They don't just play games there. They also practice there. And so there's going to be folks in the place, moving around using the facility for one reason or another that goes way beyond just the act of actually playing a game."
Visit Mass.Gov/CovidVaccine to find out when you're eligible and to book an appointment or call the hotline at 211.
