Belmont Issues Emergency Indoor Mask Mandate

BELMONT, MA — Starting at midnight on August 9, face coverings are required for everyone age two and older in all indoor public spaces, or private spaces open to the public in Belmont.

There is an exception for individuals who are unable to wear a face-covering due to a medical condition or disability.

The Belmont Board of Health came to the decision to adopt a public health mandate after an emergency meeting on August 6 with the Select Board reviewed the current COVID-19 caseload and testing positivity rates in Middlesex County.

Belmont will join a growing list of communities now requiring masks indoors.

The town has implemented these rules with the emergency mask mandate:

• Food service establishment customers may only remove face coverings when seated.
• Indoor performance venue customers may only remove face coverings in the actual act of eating and drinking.
• Indoor bar and dance venue customers may only remove face coverings when seated at tables or seated at a bar. Patrons standing or ordering at the bar must be masked. Guests must be masked on indoor dance floors.
• Lodging guests and workers are required to wear face coverings when inside hallways and common areas.
• Houses of worship are covered by this order.
• Fitness Centers/Health Clubs workers, customers, and visitors are required to wear face coverings during fitness activity, including strenuous activity.
• At Personal Services establishments, including but not limited to barber shops, hair and nail salons, all customers and workers are required to wear face coverings, except for skin or beard care that occurs on the face, the customer may temporarily remove the face covering but must immediately put the face covering back on for the remainder of the visit.
• Masks remain mandatory for all individuals on public and private transportation systems (including rideshares, livery, taxi, ferries, MBTA, Commuter Rail and transportation stations), in healthcare facilities and in other settings hosting vulnerable populations, such as congregate care settings.
• All entry doors of businesses open to the public must be posted – advising customers that facemasks must be maintained inside the establishment. Establishment staff must supervise and enforce this requirement.
• Houses of worship are covered by this order.

All businesses open to the public must post the mask requirements at their entrances.

This mandate will be in effect whenever the Level of Community Transmission data from the US Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for Middlesex County is categorized as either “Substantial” or “High” over a consecutive two-week period.

Belmont is the latest community adding an indoor mask mandate, joining Cambridge, Nantucket, Provincetown, Somerville, and Wellfleet.