City Of Framingham: Mask Mandate Ends March 7

Press release from the City of Framingham:

March 2, 2022

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 3/02/2022 

For further information, contact:

Susan Nicholl

snicholl@framinghamma.gov                                     

Tel (508) 532-5428, M (508) 864-2724

Mask Mandate Ends March 7; Mayor’s Board of Health Nominees Considered by City Council; COVID-related Resources Available to Residents

Framingham, MA—Two Executive Orders mandating masks will be rescinded at 12:01 am on March 7, 2022, at the request of Mayor Charlie Sisitsky and ratified by the Board of Health.

The current Joint Executive Order #EO2022-001, designed to decrease the surge of the COVID Omicron variant, has remained in effect since January 14.  It requires mandatory wearing of masks by staff and customers aged two (2) and over in municipal buildings and all public indoor establishments in the City of Framingham.

Executive Order #EO2021-003, enacted by former Mayor Yvonne Spicer on August 4, 2021, and ratified by the Board of Health, mandated wearing of masks inside municipal buildings. 

The Mayor’s request to the Board of Health came after weeks of continuous conversation and collaboration between Mayor Sisitsky, Superintendent of Schools Bob Tremblay, and Department of Public Health Director Alexandra DePalo. Given the spikes in COVID-19 cases that have historically occurred after school vacation breaks, the Mayor and Superintendent felt masks would be an important strategy for curbing a potential increase in the week after families return from vacation breaks.

Superintendent Tremblay announced on February 18 that masks will become optional for students, teachers, and staff in Framingham Public Schools on March 7.

BOH Nominations

At City Council’s March 1, 2022 meeting, the Mayor’s three nominees to fill Board of Health vacancies were referred to the Appointments Subcommittee, which is stated to meet at 6 pm on March 15. The mayor’s nominees are Karen Beauregard, District 6; Jeri Bryant, District 7; and Darlene Connors, District 3.

A resident of Framingham since 2016, Ms. Beauregard is a Licensed Mental Health Counselor, Licensed Alcohol/Drug Counselor, and psychotherapist in private practice. Previously, she served as a mental health clinician at MCI-Framingham and SMOC’s Serenity House, focusing on substance abuse and other social issues.   Before obtaining her master’s degree in Counseling Psychology, Ms.Beauregard had a two-decade career in finance and therefore brings extensive budgeting and negotiation experience.

As an employee of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care since 1997, Jeri Bryant has extensive experience in clinical care, health education, program development, and health policy development. With a current focus as Asthma Educator for Harvard Pilgrim’s Department of Care Management, Ms. Bryant, an RN, also holds a bachelor’s degree in Health Science and a master’s degree in Health Science. Prior to joining Harvard Pilgrim, she provided home health nursing care following a career at Boston Children’s Hospital.

A 29-year resident of Framingham, Ms. Connors has been a registered nurse for 44 years, spending most of her career as an Operating Room Charge Nurse in Boston Children’s Hospital and leading BCH initiatives focusing on partnerships, training, and practices and policies.  Most recently, Ms. Connors owned Summit Fitness in south Framingham, a small business offering training focusing on topics ranging from youth football fitness to Parkinson’s Disease. Ms. Connors has a BA in Nursing and a master’s degree in Exercise Science and Health Promotion.  Her volunteer work includes serving as past Medical Director at Special Olympics Massachusetts.

COVID-19 Case Tracking

A revised COVID-19 Weekly Data Report will continue to be posted directly to the Framingham Public Health Department’s website every Wednesday.  It may be accessed at: https://www.framinghamma.gov/290/Public-Health. The report will continue to include vaccination rates and new information about Booster doses.  

To make it easier for residents to find information they are seeking, the Mayor’s office provides screenshots of frequently requested graphics.  These graphics are always available in the links, provided every Wednesday by the Mayor’s office, to expansive information on COVID-19 testing, confirmed cases, and hospitalizations:

• Massachusetts COVID-19 Interactive Data Dashboard, click here or check the tables below for total case counts (image 1) and case counts in the past two weeks (image 2).  
• MetroWest COVID-19 Data Dashboard, click here. 

Because the Framingham Health Department does not receive the results from Rapid Antigen home tests, residents who test positive may not receive a letter or phone call from the Health Department Nurse at this time.  Follow the isolation and quarantine guidelines here:  https://www.framinghamma.gov/290/Public-Health

Vaccine Equity Initiative Update: The total number of vaccine doses provided by the Framingham Public Health Nursing Office under the Vaccine Equity Initiative between March 24, 2021 and February 26, 2022 is 9688 (includes first, second and booster doses). Brand of the vaccines administered includes Moderna, Pfizer and Janssen. Upcoming COVID-19 vaccine clinics will be offered at the following community locations; St. Stephen’s Parish and ATAC.

The Framingham Office of Public Health Nursing has resumed its pre-pandemic schedule. Residents may walk in:

1. Monday through Friday, 8:30-9:30am
2. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday, 4:00-5:00pm 
3. Tuesday, 4:00-7:00pm

Clinic services will include COVID vaccinations, COVID-19 rapid antigen testing, childhood and adult vaccinations, lead screening and TB testing. Please note: 

1. TB testing is offered Monday and Tuesday
2. There are no COVID vaccinations 15 minutes before the clinic closes due to the required observation period 
3. COVID-19 rapid antigen testing is by appointment only, please call 508-532-5667

Additional COVID-related resources include:

• Massachusetts digital vaccine card:  Massachusetts may have a record of vaccinations that Commonwealth residents have received. This may include COVID-19, influenza, and many others.  The My Vax Records tool can be used to access one’s COVID-19 digital vaccine card and vaccination history in the Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS).  Clink on this link to get started: https://myvaxrecords.mass.gov/
• Boosters: Everyone age 12+ who lives, works, or studies in Massachusetts should get a COVID-19 booster.  12- 17-year-olds can get a Pfizer booster. People 18+ can get any booster.  Find a vaccine provider here:  https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/
• Framingham Food Provider Calendar 
• Biden Administration program to increase access to home tests: Residential households in the U.S. can order one set of four free, rapid antigen COVID-19 at-home tests from USPS.com.  There is a limit of one order per residential address; orders will ship free. Place orders here: https://special.usps.com/testkits

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This press release was produced by the City of Framingham. The views expressed here are the author’s own.