Wakefield Mask Mandate Begins Sunday: Here's What To Know

WAKEFIELD, MA — The Wakefield Board of Health implemented an indoor mask mandate against some vocal opposition, meaning most residents will need to wear face coverings when entering public spaces for at least the next two months.

The mask mandate requires face coverings for everyone age 5 and older in all public spaces, including businesses, fitness centers, restaurants, houses of worship, congregate care settings and more.

The order will go into effect Jan. 9 and be revisited March 16.

"I know there are a lot of folks who might not see masks as a one-size-fits all solution to this problem ... but it is one of the tools in the toolbox," Health Director Anthony Chui said.

A proposed fine of $50 for first offenses, $100 for second offenses and third for $150 and subsequent offenses was scratched from the order after concern about punishing offenders. Instead offenders will need to leave the building or be considered trespassing.

The town's municipal building and school building mask mandates are separate and continue to be in effect.

Wakefield is among the communities across Massachusetts and the country seeing an unprecedented surge of COVID-19 cases fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.

The state on Wednesday broke another single-day record, reporting 27,612 cases.

"We need to cover the whole rest of the town in this blanket," Board of Health member Laurel Gourville said.

Several officials who spoke made it clear the mandate would not be permanent.

"The mask mandate is not meant to be a long-term solution," Chui said.

The meeting opened with a quick-moving public comment — participants only had 60 seconds to speak — that largely opposed the mandate.

"I feel that it would be unfair to retailers and small businesses to have enforce a mandate," Allison Bromery said.

Samantha Lordi got emotional recounting how she stayed inside during the state's mask mandate since she can't medically wear one. She agreed with Bromery that the mandate should be optional, saying most people wear them without being told they need to.

"When mask mandates were introduced nearly two years ago, they were our only line of defense," Lordi said. "Now we have vaccines, with very high adoption rates ... And we're told vaccines work, and if that's our way out of this and if that's the case, it doesn't get to be both."

The Board addressed most concerns people brought up during their discussion, eventually voting unanimously to implement the mandate.

The vote comes one week after the Board of Health in neighboring Melrose voted to re-implement an indoor mask mandate. Melrose and Wakefield share a health director.

Chui did not respond to two emails or a phone call asking why he brought a vote on the mandate to Melrose before Wakefield. He sent an email Tuesday night saying the issue would be voted on Wednesday.

Chui was asked during the Melrose meeting why the city was voting on a mandate but not Wakefield. Chui said he would not discuss it since the meeting was focused on Melrose, not Wakefield.

Melrose and Wakefield have reasonably similar COVID-19 metrics when it comes to 14-day average daily incidence rate and positive test rate. The percentage of Wakefield's population who have received at least one dose of the vaccine is more than 10 percent lower than Melrose's, but still at 85 percent.

The Wakefield and Melrose mask mandates mirror one another, but Melrose kept its fine structure. The Melrose Board of Health will revisit its order Feb. 8, more than a month before Wakefield does.

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