Newton Mayor 'Strongly Encourages' Face Masks Amid Coronavirus

NEWTON, MA — As communities surrounding Newton, including Needham, Brookline and Waltham, have required residents to cover their mouth and noses in public and inside businesses that are still open, Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller reiterated she is "strongly encouraging" people to wear face coverings.

"It's our responsibility: wear a face covering," she said in a statement to residents that stopped short of requiring it. "An order or fine requiring face coverings will not be implemented in the City of Newton at this time."

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Not everyone agrees that's the right path for the city amid a pandemic that has claimed the lives of at least 71 people in the city and thousands across the state.

"Newton should require face coverings inside public spaces, just as many other municipalities across the state are now doing," said Newton-Needham Chamber of Commerce President Greg Reibman. "Workers at our grocery stores, pharmacies, restaurants and other businesses should wear masks and should not have to face customers who aren’t doing the same. It provides protection and adds a level of confidence for everyone."
Ward 7 Councilor Lisle Baker applauded Fuller’s for urging residents to wear masks, and reinforcing it with information from the Centers for Disease Control. But he, too, said he hoped she'd go further.

"The question is how will we collectively fulfill that responsibility? If public masking helps keep others safe, should we depend on voluntary compliance, any more than we give the choice of smoking in public buildings?" said Baker in an email to Patch. "I hope that Mayor Fuller will require all of us to wear a mask in circumstances appropriate for Newton, rather than rely on our personal responsibility alone."

The mayor left open the possibility that could change.

Waltham's requirement will go in effect May 1. As will Needham's. In Somerville the order requiring that face coverings be worn at all times in public comes with a $300 fine is possible for those who "willfully refuse to comply." The order applies to anyone age 2 or older when in any public indoor or outdoor space. In Cambridge, a similar order is in effect for those over the age of 5. While several cities and towns have required face coverings in public stores and buildings, only Boston issued an advisory and Brookline instituted such a rule for being outside prior to this week. Welleslesy's select board is set to discuss implementing an order during an emergency meeting Friday.

More municipalities are looking into whether to make wearing face coverings in public mandatory, after the Attorney General updated guidance on local authority to keep residents safe amid the coronavirus emergency. She also touched on issuing curfews, restricting movement of cars and limiting gatherings. Her updated guidance clarified that yes, municipalities have the power to issue an order to wear face masks, providing there's an exception for anyone who that might adversely affect. She also notes, a city can also just issue a strong advisory with no penalties.

Both the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health advise people to wear cloth face coverings in public settings, especially where physical distancing measures are difficult to maintain.

Part of the reason the CDC recommends wearing masks is because people who show no symptoms of illness may still be able to spread the virus that causes COVID-19.

"At this time, I, with the input of our Commissioner of Health and Human Services, Deborah Youngblood, will continue to strongly encourage people to wear face coverings, especially where physical distancing measures are difficult to maintain," the mayor said, recommending anyone who was indoors or outdoors and not able to maintain a distance of at least 6 feet from others, wear a face covering.

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Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna).