Stoneham Mask Mandate To Be Decided Wednesday

STONEHAM, MA — The Board of Health will meet Wednesday to discuss and vote on an indoor mask mandate as a surge of COVID-19 cases fueled by the omicron variant which continues to run roughshod over the region.

"We do strongly recommend at this point that people do wear masks indoors in public settings," Health Agent Erin Hull told the Select Board Tuesday night. But that recommendation will be a requirement for most people if the vote passes.

The vote comes as the town has more than 560 active COVID-19 cases, a significant increase from the roughly 300 cases this time last year. Hull said hospitalizations are far less, but residents are still dying. Two more recent deaths bring the COVID-related total to 55 since the start of the pandemic in Stoneham.

If passed, Hull said the mandate could only last a few weeks through the expected peak of the omicron spike.

"I understand people are sick of this. I'm sick of wearing a mask too," she said. "But I think in a lot of public places, I'm just thinking about protecting the most vulnerable."

Related

• To Many, It's Back To Square One For Local COVID-19 Testing
• Locals Frustrated At Dearth Of At-Home COVID Tests

Massachusetts — and the rest of the country — is in the midst of an unprecedented explosion of COVID-19 cases. The most recent public health data showed Stoneham to 279, bringing the total to 3,815 since the start of the pandemic. The real number is undoubtedly higher; Hull on Tuesday said people don't even need to report it when they get a positive result from an at-home rapid test.

Stoneham has a very high vaccination rate with some 90 percent of eligible residents receiving at least one dose of the vaccine.

Some Select Board members asked for clarification on things like mask effectiveness, transmission and updated federal guidelines on isolation.

Hull said KN-95 masks are recommended if available, but "any face covering is better than no face covering."

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Stoneham Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.