Medford Coronavirus Update: 752 Cases, 10K Masks Ordered

MEDFORD, MA — Medford Mayor Breanna Lungo-Koehn and Health Director Maryann O'Connor have ordered 10,000 non-surgical masks through a regional health department collaborative. The masks will be given out to senior citizens and other community members in need, city officials said Wednesday.

Once available, details and information will be made available to the public about a distribution to the public. At this time, advance orders and requests are not being accepted.

Essential businesses are asking residents to donate non-surgical, reusable face coverings to the Medford Board of Health to be given out to workers. If you have questions or if you have masks to donate, please email covid19info@medford-ma.gov, or call 781-393-2408. For other ways to volunteer time or services, visit www.medfordma.org/coronavirus-information.

As of Wednesday, there were 752 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Medford. Officials clarified the city's order requiring customers and employees to wear face coverings when inside essential businesses. The order has not been extended to include any time residents are in public, like in neighboring Somerville.

Read the joint statement from Lungo-Koehn and O'Connor below:

"On April 10, the City of Medford was among the first cities in Massachusetts to institute an order regarding wearing face coverings when inside of businesses deemed ‘essential’ under Governor Baker’s orders, our fifth local order in response to the current public health crisis. At this time, our order does not require wearing a face covering at all times when outdoors but does require that anyone, including employees, wear a covering over their nose and mouth when inside of an essential business.

As with all our emergency orders and policies, we put this order into place after listening to public health experts and based it on guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We made this decision based on the best available facts and stand by that order.

We take the business of emergency orders very seriously and make these decisions after thoughtful consideration, internal debate, advice from legal counsel, and base them on the science of public health. While an extremely limited number of cities have chosen to enact more restrictive policies around face coverings, the vast majority of municipalities have not.

But let us be clear. We are not afraid to make bold and difficult decisions to protect the health and well-being of our residents. In fact, Medford has been a leader in putting into place policies like closing non-essential businesses and limiting gatherings in public places to flatten the curve of this insidious disease. Thanks in part to efforts like these and other similar measures in surrounding communities, we have thus far been able to keep our hospitals from becoming overwhelmed. But this fight is by no means over, and we are keeping any and all options on the table. We review and analyze information daily, coordinate regularly with our partner communities and agencies, and will continue to advocate for and act in the very best interests of the City of Medford."