Somerville Issues Indoor Mask Mandate

SOMERVILLE, MA — The Board of Health voted Thursday to approve a face-covering mandate in all indoor public spaces in Somerville.

The mandate went into effect Friday. Masks should only be removed "when people are actively eating and drinking," according to a tweet from the city.

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. This week, the CDC designated all Massachusetts counties at risk for high or substantial transmission.

The mandate mostly mirrors previous mask requirements and does not apply to outdoor spaces. The Somerville Public Schools also recently implemented a mask mandate for the upcoming school year.

Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said the aim is to avoid "cutting back on what people can do."

"But we do need to recognize how to do things safely in public settings," he said in a statement Aug. 11. "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."