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But in Boston, Cambridge, Somerville and elsewhere, city officials have so far encouraged indoor masking but are not requiring it.
Belmont’s tenure came amid growing concerns about COVID-19 and news that even those vaccinated could spread the virus.
“It looks like the Delta variant is a game-changer. We are again at the mercy of the virus, ”Wesley Chin, director of Belmont’s health department said Monday.
The state’s Department of Public Health has reported an increase in COVID-19 cases statewide. As of June 27, the seven-day average of confirmed cases was 70 per day; By Sunday, that number had risen to 780. (This is still well below the peak hours of early January, when the seven-day average exceeded 6,000.)
Some places, like Arlington, take a middle lane – requiring people entering municipal buildings to wear masks. Salem will also require masks in municipal buildings from August 23. Worcester plans to do the same, according to Dr Matilde “Mattie” Castiel, health and social services commissioner.
Acting Mayor Kim Janey of Boston has ordered masks to be worn in Boston public schools once they reopen in the fall, but she is not ready to follow the political decisions made in Belmont and Salem as the Health data is not the same, according to Caitlin McLaughlin, spokesperson for the Boston Public Health Commission.
“All of our follow-up actions remain below thresholds, which would lead to mandates and restrictions at this time,” McLaughlin wrote in an email Monday. “As we have done throughout this pandemic, we will continue to track public health data and use it to guide our decision-making… While the COVID-19 vaccine is the best protection we have, the Mayor Janey also strongly encouraged Boston residents to wear masks. “
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that vaccinated and unvaccinated people wear masks in indoor public places, in counties with “significant” or “high” transmission rates of the coronavirus. In Massachusetts, this includes everything except Hampshire County.
Massachusetts has its own guidelines, recommending that masks be worn in indoor public places for people with weakened immune systems or at increased risk for serious illness, or who live with someone who has them.
Federal and state recommendations are nowhere near as strict as the Belmont and Provincetown rules, which emerged for different reasons. Provincetown imposed its mask mandate on July 26 in response to an outbreak and plans to end it on August 27. Chief Executive Officer Alex Morse told some board members on Monday that active COVID-19 cases in Provincetown are on the decline “and the positivity rate hit a new low” – 1.4% on Sunday, against 15.1% on July 15,
Belmont, on the other hand, is looking to the future, hoping to avert a deadly fall by putting the brakes on a recent spike in cases, according to Chin, the city’s health director.
“It made sense to try and get ahead of this,” Chin said. “We know where this is going, unfortunately. COVID is in charge. We do our best to ensure the safety and health of our residents.
State data shows Belmont recorded eight cases of COVID-19 between July 4 and July 17. Over the next two weeks, the number rose to 19. This has happened even though 70% of the city’s population is fully vaccinated, according to Chin.
These trends, combined with guidance from the CDC and the finding that Middlesex County is experiencing “substantial” spread, have prompted the city’s board of directors and health council to reinstate the mandate. Although the vaccine is effective, the city wants to protect children under 12, who are not eligible for vaccination, and people with weakened immune systems, in whom the vaccine is often less protective, Chin said. .
Belmont’s mandate is comprehensive and applies to bars, restaurants, hair salons, fitness centers and healthcare facilities, essentially all indoor activities in public spaces. It covers everyone from 2 years old. It requires companies to display the mask mandate and enforce it. The rule will be in effect whenever the CDC finds transmission to be “high” or “heavy” in Middlesex County and will be lifted whenever transmission drops to “low” or “moderate” for two consecutive weeks.
The mandate allows businesses and their employees to tell customers or visitors to put on a mask when entering. If people refuse, companies “are invited to call the police or the health department,” Chin said.
The response from the community has been mixed, Chin said.
“We have received reactions from community members who probably feel upset and disappointed after making the effort to receive vaccines, which we have to hide from ourselves again,” he said.
But conversations with residents of the city’s business district on Monday found a lot of support.
Kathy Crowley, 60, co-owner of Belmont Books and the Black Bear Cafe on Leonard Street, said the store had kept a mask mandate in place from the start and the city order would make it easier to enforce.
Two clients – Jean Martin, 72, from Cambridge, and Kathy Koop, 73, from Watertown – said they were wearing masks indoors anyway, whether or not they were required. “It’s a courtesy to everyone,” Martin said.
“The mandate is clear to people who can’t make up their minds. It’s simple, ”said Koop.
Emily Arkinstall, owner of Stone Hearth Pizza, said she was “happy” and “relieved” that the mandate is back, but also fears confrontations with customers who oppose it.
“It’s going to be difficult because people take it very personally when you ask them to mask themselves,” Arkinstall said. Some customers will simply walk out if asked to put on a face covering, she said, adding that the majority of people are respectful.
Sam Bastille, 21, manager of Didriks, a downtown home furniture store, also said he expected to “be put in an awkward position” by some opponents of the mask. But given that his mother has asthma and his grandmother is ill, Bastille said he felt safer coming to work with a clear rule in place.
Felice J. Freyer can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter @felicejfreyer. John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @JREbosglobe. Julia Carlin can be reached at [email protected].
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