massachusetts towns with mask mandates 2022

In MetroWest, some cities and towns have mask mandates, some have advisories and some have no local policy at all. The state Department of Public Health issued a mask advisory on Dec. 21 recommending but not requiring the use of face coverings indoors in public. With your support, GBH will continue to innovate, inspire and connect through reporting you value that meets todays moments. On transportation provided by the Commonwealths Human Service Transportation (HST) Brokerage system. An appellate court justice has temporarily blocked the city from enforcing the mandate for police and fire departments. Just over 75% of the population has gotten a booster shot. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. Massachusetts doctors are now are recommending that everyone wear masks in all public indoor spaces, but Gov. Nantucket: Masks mandated for customers and staff at retail stores, restaurants, bars, performance venues, places of worship, event spaces and other businesses Newton: Masks are required for. Statewide, the Department of Public Health is advising fully vaccinated people to wear face masks indoors in public if they have have a weakened immune system, an underlying condition that puts them at risk for severe infection, or lives with someone who is at risk or unvaccinated. Mask mandates in Massachusetts: With COVID delta variant rising, these towns and cities have enacted face-covering guidelines. If this mandate prevents one person from having to seek medical care from our severely overtaxed health care system right now, then I think weve done the right thing, fellow board member Alexandra Rubin said. And worrying about the increased risk of COVID-19 spread from the stubbornly unvaccinated who pose a public health threat. . For Home health care workers, including Personal Care Attendants (PCAs) and Home Health Aides in community and home-based settings where they are providing patient-facing care. The City of Lowell and the town of Beverly both dropped their indoor mask mandates this week. Copyright 2023 NBCUniversal Media, LLC. It's Boston local news in one concise, fun and informative email. BOSTON (CBS) With the new Omicron variant driving COVID-19 cases to record levels in Massachusetts, many cities and towns have brought back or extended face mask mandates to slow the spread. Until we get down to low levels of transmission, I think mask use is one of the last measures to be removed," Hamer said. Consider wearing a mask especially if you have a weakened immune system, if you are at increased risk for severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system or is at increased risk for severe disease. With infection and hospitalization numberscoming down, are we finally turning a corner in the pandemic? Other cities in recent days have been weighing whether to join them. A number of other cities and towns have dropped their mask mandates, including Lowell, Beverly and Mansfield. By a 3-2 margin, the panel . February 28, 2022. GBH News brings you the stories, local voices, and big ideas that shape our world. You can try, CHARTS: Mass. The omicron variant is coming to an end, well wait to see whats on the horizon," Lowells Health Director Lisa Golden said. If you're a human and see this, please ignore it. Keeping to small circles in which I can feel safer. The final weeks of the college school year have been disrupted yet again by COVID-19 as universities . Vaccine Tracking And COVID Case Counts, Masks Will Be Required In Massachusetts Schools Through At Least Oct. 1, Janey Orders Indoor Mask Mandate For Boston And Its Schools To Mitigate Delta Variant's Spread, Massachusetts Cities And Towns Debate Mask Mandates, Vaccine Requirements. As for vax mandates, school staff in Boston right now need to be vaccinated, but a new agreement struck with the city will allow unvaccinated teachers back into the classroom if case counts are low, and they agree to take COVID tests twice weekly. Updated: Aug. 13, 2021, 8:56 a.m. | Photo by Pat Greenhouse/The Boston Globe via Getty Images. 2 min read. So are Chelsea and Northampton. Worcester's Board of Health voted Monday night to rescind a citywide mask mandate, following other communities that have made similar moves as COVID-19 cases decline. Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. The Centers For Disease Control has recommended that even fully vaccinated Americans in areas with substantial or high COVID transmission mask up indoors. You can try, Too close to home? The feedback will only be used for improving the website. Below is a list of cities and towns that have made face mask announcements: Arlington: Masks are required in indoor spaces that are open to the public, Bedford: Masks required in indoor public spaces or private spaces open to the public, Belmont: Masks are required in any indoor spaces open to the public including restaurants, bars, salons, places of worship, fitness centers and other businesses. Please remove any contact information or personal data from your feedback. 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For people with disabilities needing assistance with the Public Files, contact Glenn Heath at 617-300-3268. "I feel like in the winter, everyone is sick with something, whether it's COVID or not. Were here to help. Masks are still mandatory statewide in certain other locations like hospitals and nursing homes, and in most forms of transportation you share with strangers, including airplanes and airports, and on all MBTA trains, buses, and platforms. Boston still requires them for all public indoor spaces, as do neighbors Cambridge, Somerville, Newton, and Brookline. She hosts Basic Black, which focuses on current events impacting communities of color and appears weekly on Beat the Press, examining local and national media coverage. Download the latest advisory, updated June 10, 2022:Updated Advisory Regarding Masks and Face Coverings PDF| DOC. Staff, patients, vendors, and visitors must all wear masks at the following sites: hospitals, emergency medical services, primary care and urgent care settings. All rights reserved. If you need assistance, please contact the Department of Public Health. Updated: Feb 3, 2022 / 11:55 PM EST. Thank you! A MARTNEZ, HOST: For months, the state of Massachusetts has had its sweeping mask mandates for schools, but this week it allowed communities to lift them. Kanton Mathis' 12-year-old son Eric wants to wear his mask at his Decatur, Georgia, school, where masks are now optional . If you need assistance, please contact the Department of Public Health. Material from the State House News Service was used in this report. When you see it on a map, its striking just how much variety there is when it comes to policies town-by-town and city-by-city. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Absent a statewide mask mandate, the number of communities that are requiring people to mask up while inside public places has risen in recent weeks across Massachusetts. Some local communities missing from this list may not have provided explicit mask guidance. Dozens of Massachusetts schools are already mask-free. Masks are optional for staff, patients, vendors, and visitors in these settings. Dont expect those rules to go anywhere anytime soonyou may not want to relax your policy of stuffing spare masks into coat pockets. Belmont: The town of Belmont has decided to enact a town mask mandate to cover municipal buildings, as well as any indoor public space, including restaurants, bars, retail shops and gyms. By February 15, ICU bed capacity had already dropped to 90 percent, there were 278 hospitalizations a day, and the community positivity rate was at 5.4 percent. Municipal requirement Masks required inside municipal buildings, including libraries, seniors centers and at public meetings. Its not that I believe kids, or for that matter adults, should be mandated to wear masks forever, but the school mask policy is premature. The mask mandate for most Massachusetts public schools has been extended into January, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education announced Tuesday. Charlie Bakers administration is "not considering a universal mask mandate at this time.". (WHDH) - The list of Massachusetts communities opting to bring back indoor mask mandates continues to grow as the omicron variant fuels a surge in new COVID-19 cases. So many public health officials across the state believe it's safe to ease up restrictions. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. It's an uneasy milestone for many, As Mass. "If you are infected with the coronavirus and do not know it, a mask is very good at keeping your respiratory droplets and particles from infecting others," Johns Hopkins Health System epidemiologist Lisa Lockerd Maragakis said about masks. Learn about mask recommendations and requirements in Massachusetts. "When I heard the news that the mandate was lifted, I just thought it is progress. She can be reached atapatkin@wickedlocal.com. Follow us so you don't miss a thing! I am vaccinated and boosted, and the number of vaccinated Massachusetts residents is high, though people are still getting breakthrough infections. Drivers and other staff on transportation provided by the HST Brokerage system must wear masks. Advisories Local governments are only advising people to wear masks in public. Top-requested sites to log in to services provided by the state. Youll also need either proof of vaccination or a negative test taken no more than a day in advance. Only staff and vendors must wear masks at the following sites: adult day health programs, dental offices, speech, occupational and physical therapy settings and other freestanding medical/clinical settings that do not primarily care for patients with acute illness or immunocompromised patients. A growing number of cities and towns across Massachusetts are rolling back their mask and vaccine mandates as COVID-19 cases decline. Charlie Bakers recent decision to lift the mask mandate. The City of Lowell and the town of Beverly both dropped their indoor mask mandates this week. Governor Charlie Baker was asked if the state was considering dropping the mask mandate anytime soon. . Replies (10 . Use this button to show and access all levels. For example, many restaurants in Cambridge require proof of vaccination. Even though lots of states have been dropping their school mask mandates, the CDC thinks its too soon to take that step, and is sticking with its guidance that kids stay masked in schools. In Massachusetts, the mask mandate was imposed in August and was extended three times. The majority of Massachusetts public schools will enter a week-long vacation on Feb. 21, most classes will resume on Feb. 28 the same day the school mask mandate will be rescinded. For the first time since early August, the Commonwealth reported fewer than 1,000 average daily confirmed COVID-19 cases over the last week. As of February 8, 42 of them were allowed to drop their mandates under a state program that allowed schools to qualify for an exemption if they had high vaccination rates. Schools Continue Downward Trend, New Video Shows Moment Floor Buckled on Green Line Train on Marathon Monday, Pupdate on the Adorable Dog That Fell Asleep on Our Broadcast, Popeye's Customers Angry Over Menu Item Trash Worcester Restaurant: Police, We Spent $100,000 on an Abandoned High School, and $3.3 Million to Convert It Into ApartmentsTake a Look Inside. With cases and hospitalizations both down in Massachusetts, some think it is time to ease up on restrictions, while others are still not comfortable taking masks off. Abby Patkin is a multimedia journalist for the Daily News. Schutt said that while the pandemic is ending, the war against the virus has no end in sight. Two years of the emotional and physical ups and downs of living with the nagging anxiety about contracting the disease. This requirement only applies to the worker providing care. Were moving too quickly. All rights reserved, With cases and hospitalizations both down in Massachusetts, New COVID Cases in Mass. But overall, I think it will mean a little bump in sales.". All key COVID-19 metrics, including deaths, cases, and . WORCESTER, MA This was a big week for masks in Massachusetts. Effective July 1, 2022, the Department of Public Health advises that individuals should wear a mask or face covering when indoors (and not in your own home) if you have a weakened immune system, or if you are at increased risk for severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened The lack of state mandate has left individual communities to decide the issue of masking for themselves, resulting in a patchwork of policies across the state. We were unable to subscribe you to WBUR Today. Board Chair Dr. David Moore said a dramatic increase in the citys COVID-19 cases last week prompted action. Roberto Scalese Twitter Senior Editor, DigitalRoberto Scalese is a senior editor for digital. A lock icon ( The decision is aimed at relaxing restrictions and boosting business at places such as Purple Carrot Bread Co. in downtown Lowell. Download the latest advisory, updated June 10, 2022: Please do not include personal or contact information. As the delta variant pushes a new rise in coronavirus cases, infecting the unvaccinated as well as a small percentage of fully vaccinated people, communities in Massachusetts are once again implementing mask-wearing requirements. Boston's K-12 students are returning to the classrooms today after school vacation week, officially Mid Winter Break. As COVID-19 cases spike once more, local health officials are putting increased emphasis on face coverings among the top tools for slowing the virus spread. Each town has its own specifics around these requirements, so visit the community's website for more information. It's complicated. The same release said 41% of eligible city residents have received a booster shot, which was up two percent from the week prior. These experts aren't quite ready, Boston municipal unions bring vaccine mandate opposition to City Council. An iHeartRadio station. Several cities and towns around Massachusetts are beginning to lift their respective indoor mask mandates. WORCESTER, MA This was a big week for masks in Massachusetts. Masks are optional for residents as further described in DPH Guidance: Caring for Long-Term Care Residents During the COVID-19 Response. The state Department of Public Health has relaxed its masking guidance, saying this week that people who are unvaccinated, or who have certain health conditions or compromised immune systems, or live with people who are at higher risk, should wear masks while sharing indoor spaces with other people outside their homes. So, while the numbers are trending in the right direction, Marcus counsels patience. Some towns and cities have community-wide mask requirements. The most recent guidance says that K95, K94 and N95 masks offer the best protection. But when I consider those kids returning from weeklong family trips out of town, or staycations at home all I can think is superspreader. How many people have they interacted with? I may be swimming upstream against a strong public current, but Im OK with that. 22News has compiled a list of towns that have mask mandates here. It's complicated. 2023 www.metrowestdailynews.com. "If you havent yet received your COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask can also help prevent germs that come from another persons respiratory droplets from getting into your nose and mouth.". In fact, some measures are back to where they were last fall before a surge in infections related to delta and omicron variants. "In city buildings, you need your mask, and in the schools, the children in schools are still wearing masks, but those may be coming to an end soon," Golden said. The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has a mask mandate that runs through the end of February. - FEBRUARY 8: People wear masks ahead of discussions of lifting the mask mandate on February 8, 2022 in Boston, MA. Beverlys mask mandate expiredat 11:59 p.m. Wednesday. Quincys home to the latest apparently racism-fueled violent incident, where an Asian man was allegedly run over repeatedly. Here's our running tally of which of the 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts have brought back masking rules. What about masking rules for cities and towns? Individual businesses and other facilities may still have mask mandates in place. But while the state mandate will end soon, some school districts may continue to require masks for now. Yet while some states, including California and New York, require most people to wear masks indoors in public places, Massachusetts has held out. Plenty more have followed since. Editor's Note: We have stopped updating this list as of Nov. 23. This page is located more than 3 levels deep within a topic. Not every school is ready for that just . So again, you need to check out what your community or favorite restaurant or gym require. Staff, patients, vendors, and visitors must all wear masks at the following sites: vaccination sites, primary care and urgent care settings, and any medical/clinical settings that primarily care for patients with acute illness and/or immunocompromised patients. But keep in mind that we've had three big spikes since this pandemic began two years ago and we could have another one. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the official website.

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