Charlie Baker says Massachusetts could lift COVID-19 restrictions sooner if more residents get vaccinated The governor is offering a carrot to those who haven't gotten a shot yet: A quicker return to normal. Gov. Charlie Baker during a press conference at the Massachusetts State House in Boston. Nicolaus Czarnecki / Pool Gov. Charlie Baker reiterated Thursday that Massachusetts could lift virtually all COVID-19 restrictions earlier than the recently announced Aug. 1 date — but only if the vaccine uptake and decreasing infection rates continue their momentum. “If people want to get more normal faster, go get vaccinated,” Baker said during a press conference Thursday. “That is the fastest way to get us from here to there.”