Safety Steps Required of Donors To Attend Baker Fundraiser

A day after the governor criticized former President Barack Obama's planned Martha's Vineyard birthday party and urged caution at large outdoor events, the hosts of a planned fundraiser for Gov. Charlie Baker next month on Cape Cod laid out safety precautions that would be required of attendees.

Anyone attending the outdoor fundraiser on Sept. 2 for Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito at public relations maven George Regan's home at the Willowbend Country Club in Mashpee is asked to be vaccinated against COVID-19 or to get tested for the virus 48 hours ahead of the bash.

"Health & safety is our number one priority and we would like to assure you that we are taking all necessary precautions to ensure a safe and socially distanced event," Regan wrote. "While this is an outdoor gathering, pool side in a large yard, we are still asking all guests to please be vaccinated or get tested 48 hours before the reception."

On Tuesday, Baker said that anyone planning a large outdoor gathering this summer "should either put them off or be really careful" if any attendee's age or health conditions put them at greater risk for a severe case of COVID-19.

"One of the things we know absolutely about COVID is if you have multiple comorbidities, if you are over the age of 75 and especially if you're over the age of 85, you are at extreme risk of getting severely ill if you get that virus," Baker said.

Among the list of co-chairs and host committee members for the Baker/Polito fundraiser are a handful of people in the age range Baker described as being at greater risk for getting a severe case of COVID-19, including 82-year-old former Boston Mayor Raymond Flynn, 79-year-old Herb Chambers and Judge Brian Merrick, who retired in 2014 when he hit the mandated retirement age for judges of 70.