No Mask Mandate In Westborough, Except For Library

WESTBOROUGH — While the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) stated Tuesday that it will be requiring that masks be worn by all students, teachers and staff for at least the first month of the school year, town-wide masks mandates vary greatly.

Westborough has seen 33 new cases of COVID-19 since July 29, the Westborough Board of Health reported on Aug. 19.

There is no town-wide mask mandate; however, in a joint meeting between the Board of Selectman and Board of Health Tuesday, the board voted to require all library patrons, vaccinated and unvaccinated, wear face coverings in the library starting on Friday.

At this time, there are no mask mandates in Northborough, according to Health Agent Kristin Black.

At the Aug. 10 board of health meeting, Black said, "There has been 15 cases in the last two weeks."

"Currently, we do ask that anyone entering town buildings to mask if they are not vaccinated," said Black.

It is standard protocol for the unvaccinated to wear face coverings.

On Friday, the Shrewsbury Board of Health strongly encouraged everyone to wear a mask when indoors in all public spaces in town because 32 additional positive COVID-19 cases had been reported since Aug. 13.

Grafton Board of Health reported on Aug. 6 that the town has seen 10 new cases since July 30.

In Worcester County, the 14-day average daily incidence rate (number of new cases divided by the number of people living in the geographic area)— from Aug. 1 through Aug. 14 — was 12.9 per 100,000 residents, according to Mass.gov.

As of today, the Commonwealth has seen 1,400 new confirmed COVID-19 cases bringing the total to 700,577 confirmed COVID-19 cases with three new confirmed deaths for a total of 17,828 confirmed deaths in Massachusetts, according to Mass.gov.

COVID-19 Vaccines
People age 12+ who live, work, or study in Massachusetts can get vaccinated against COVID-19. The vaccine is safe and effective. You don't need an ID or insurance to get it. People ages 12-17 can receive the Pfizer vaccine. People age 18 and older can receive any vaccine.
To locate a vaccination site, visit https://vaxfinder.mass.gov/. If you need help booking a vaccine appointment, contact your local health department. For more information on the COVID-19 Vaccine visit www.mass.gov/vaccine. If you believe you need an in-home vaccination, please contact the In-Home Vaccination Central Intake Line at (833) 983-0485.