Boston city councilors to be sworn in for new terms outside due to Covid-19; after party postponed to the spring

The mayor's office announced today that the bi-annual swearing in of new and returning city councilors will be held at 10 a.m. on Jan. 3 in the City Hall courtyard, rather than in the originally planned and warmer historic Faneuil Hall.

Previously the event was slated to take place indoors, but it has been moved outside in the midst of a winter COVID-19 surge driven by the Omicron variant. Guests will be limited to close family and friends of City Councilors. A previously planned evening inaugural celebration has been postponed until spring.

The ceremony will be streamed live on the city Web site.

A celebration that had been planned for that evening has been put off until the spring, with optimism that the current surge will have abated by then.

Incoming City Council President Ed Flynn supported the move:

As the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases continues to surge with the highly transmissible Omicron variant, we must take additional precautions to prevent its spread and protect vulnerable neighbors. The decision to hold the City Council swearing-in ceremony outside at City Hall is one that is based on science and guidance from our public health officials, and what they deem to be in the best interest of keeping our communities safe and healthy so that we do not overwhelm our healthcare system during this wave

In addition to Flynn and other returning councilors, several first-time councilors will be sworn in: At-large councilors Ruthzee Louijeune and Erin Murphy, District 4 (Dorchester, Mattapan, Roslindale) Councilor Brian Worrell, District 6 (Jamaica Plain, West Roxbury, Mission Hill) Councilor Kendra Hicks and District 7 (Dorchester) Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson. Also getting sworn in: Incumbent District 1 (North End, East Boston, Charlestown) Councilor Lydia Edwards, who will, barring an unprecedented and so far unknown write-in campaign, will soon leave to become a state senator.