Early business closings will be lifted Monday in COVID-19 rollback

Good news: Massachusetts businesses are no longer required to close by 9:30 p.m. And bonus: residents are no longer urged by the state to stay home between 10 p.m. and 5 p.m.

Those were among the COVID-19 restrictions announced by Gov. Charlie Baker Thursday, alongside $37.4 million in awards to 638 small businesses in a fourth round of grants through the COVID-19 Small Business Grant Program administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation. Restaurants, bars and retail stores, which have been especially impacted during the pandemic, are among the key industries to lead this round.

The existing, across the board 25 percent capacity limits for most businesses and current limitations on gatherings have been extended through 5 a.m. on Monday, February 8. 

The rollback on the early closing order will be effective January 25.

All other orders and safety guidance remain in place throughout the Commonwealth as the state continues to fight COVID-19 and vaccines ramp up in all regions.

To date, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded more than $232 million in direct financial support to 4,757 small businesses. This funding has been made available through a $668 million business relief fund set up in December, as well as $50.8 million for small and diverse businesses included in the economic recovery package announced in October. 

Additional grants will be announced in the coming weeks for thousands of additional businesses.