Somerville Board Of Health To Weigh Indoor Mask Mandate

SOMERVILLE, MA — Health officials in Somerville will consider a public indoor mask mandate to combat the spread of the Delta variant.

At its Aug. 19 meeting, the Board of Health will vote on whether to require masks in indoor public settings, with a potential start date of Friday, Aug. 20. The mandate would apply to everyone regardless of vaccination status, except for children under the age of 2.

"The most important thing everyone should do right now to slow the spread of COVID-19 is get vaccinated if you have not done so yet," Health and Human Services Director Doug Kress said. "It's free, it's easy, and the data clearly show that the vaccines vastly reduce your risk of severe or fatal illness. But the next thing we all need to do is mask up inside in public spaces again because anyone can still get the virus and spread it, and it spreads most easily indoors."

As of Aug. 5, 54,983 Somerville residents – 73 percent of the city’s total population – were fully vaccinated and 59,337 – 78 percent – had received at least one dose. Information on where to get vaccinated locally can be found at somervillema.gov/vaccine.

The CDC recommends that people in areas of high or substantial COVID-19 transmission wear face coverings when in indoor public spaces regardless of vaccination status. As of Aug. 10, the CDC had designated nearly all Massachusetts counties, including Middlesex, as high or substantial transmission.

In Somerville, case numbers have also been steadily increasing since mid-July. As of Aug. 10, 82 new cases were reported in Somerville during the previous 10 days. Health officials said the disease is spreading quickest among those ages 20-39 in Massachusetts.

"The last time case rates were this high in Somerville was this past spring. Then, with measures in place to slow the spread, the community stepped up, complied with the rules, and together we drove COVID cases down. Now that the Delta variant is driving cases back up, we are asking the community to join together and break this cycle again," Mayor Joseph Curtatone said.

Face coverings are currently required in all city buildings, as well as school-run summer programs. The Somerville Public Schools is expected to require masks for the return of classes this fall.

If approved, the mandate would mostly mirror previous mask requirements. The new mandate would apply only in indoor public spaces and not outdoor areas.

"We're not cutting back at this moment on what people can do, and we'd like to avoid that," Curtatone said. "But we do need to recognize how to do things safely in public settings. There are people of all ages for whom this disease still poses a real threat, and the simple act of wearing a mask when you’re inside a public space can help prevent this disease from spreading to them."

For more coronavirus and vaccine information, visit somervillema.gov/COVID19 or somervillema.gov/vaccine and sign up for City alerts at somervillema.gov/Alerts. We urge you to sign up for every alert method you are able to receive: phone call, text, email. Also follow FB.com/SomervilleCity and @SomervilleCity.