Sudbury To Phase Out Mask Mandate By March

SUDBURY, MA — One of the longest recent mask mandates in the region will likely go away by early March.

The Sudbury Board of Health on Feb. 8 voted to move to a mask advisory by March 7. The town instituted a firm mandate in August, several months before the omicron surge pushed case levels to the highest point since the beginning of the pandemic.

Under an advisory, town residents will be encouraged to wear masks in public places like houses of worship and businesses, but will not be strictly required to. Individual businesses can still require masks as a condition of entry.

The health board also voted last week to loosen mask guidelines for children between 2 and 4 years old. Children that age prior to Feb. 8 were required to wear masks, but now parents can follow the less restrictive state Department of Early Education and Care (EEC) guideline.

"Children age 2 to 4 who can safely and appropriately wear, remove, and handle face masks should be strongly encouraged, at family discretion, to wear face masks indoors and must be supervised at all times while wearing a face mask," the EEC guideline says.

Cases in Sudbury and across the state have been dropping in recent weeks. Sudbury added 103 cases over the two weeks ending Feb. 5, according to state date. Over the two weeks ending Jan. 29, Sudbury added 184 cases; and the town added 343 cases over the two weeks ending Jan. 22.