BOSTON — Public health officials across Massachusetts are asking Gov. Charlie Baker to reinstate mask mandates in public schools and on public transportation amid an uptick in increasing COVID-19 case numbers.
The coalition of health officials in Massachusetts also asked the Department of Public Health to issue an “immediate advisory” to residents – recommending face masks in public spaces and large gatherings again while a new surge continues to infect more and more people.
This comes as federal health officials confirmed that a third of Americans live in counties where the risk of COVID-19 is high enough to re-recommend an indoor mask mandate.
Positivity rates are still much lower than they were at the peak of the omicron wave in January but have been steadily increasing since the end of March. Over the last two weeks, the relative change in case counts across Massachusetts continues to be classified as higher for every county in the Bay State. COVID-19 levels in wastewater show a continuous uptick in Massachusetts since the end of the first Omicron surge in January and the statewide removal of the mask mandate indoors, in schools, and on public transportation over the last few months.
On Wednesday, Dr. Rochelle Walensky, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strongly recommended people living in communities with large infection outbreaks and hospitalizations to consider putting the masks back on in public places.
Gov. Baker held firm on his stance to not re-issue a state-wide mask mandate, mentioning how Massachusetts still requires masks in health facilities and long-term care spots.
“We certainly welcome people to wear masks, if they take care of a loved one who’s got comorbidities or is immunocompromised or if they’re dealing with somebody who’s over the age of 65 or 70,” Baker said, according to a transcript of the event provided by the administration.
Other cities and towns have issued varying mask advisories. Worcester issued an advisory last Friday, and Wayland brought back masks in schools for last week only during a surge.
A few other school districts in Massachusetts have also started recommending masks again even as the school year enters its final weeks.
Related: MA Schools Weigh Option Of Masking Students For Last Weeks Of Classes
“Right now, what we are actually requiring is kids to go to school and get COVID,” Dr. Lara Jirmanus, a primary care physician in Revere and cofounder of the Massachusetts Coalition for Health Equity said over Zoom in a news conference.
Implementing these restrictions again “Will help keep our schools and our public transportation safe for people who rely on it every day,” Jirmanus continued. “And so, instead of requiring kids to get COVID, I think it’s better to require kids to wear a mask, which are much safer than COVID until the end of the surge.”
COVID-19 hospitalizations and the seven-day average of reported cases have now risen more than 40 percent from where they were in the first two weeks of May.
Read More: MA Health Officials Urge State To Issue Mask Advisory