Should Massachusetts reinstate an indoor mask mandate?
Fourteen members of the Massachusetts Legislature think so, including a pair of candidates for lieutenant governor: state Senator Adam Hinds (D-Pittsfield), and state representative Tami Gouveia (D-Acton).
The 14 Democratic legislators sent a letter to Massachusetts governor Charlie Baker on Wednesday this week that, among other things, told him to establish an indoor mask mandate for everyone who is at least 2 years old. They want the administration to follow the federal Centers for Disease Control guidelines that tells people to wear masks in indoor areas of high or substantial transmission.
A high-transmission community is one where there are at least 100 new coronavirus cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days — or one where the positive test rate is at least 10 percent. Conversely, a substantial-risk county is one where the new cases per 100,000 people in the past seven days is between 50-99.99, or the positive test rate in the past seven days is between 8 percent and 9.99 percent, according to the CDC.
The letter starts by thanking Baker for his administration’s decision to give out free coronavirus rapid tests to 102 communities in the state. However, it says that this response to the increase in coronavirus cases is insufficient.
“Unfortunately, experts confirm that testing is not enough,” the Democratic lawmakers wrote. “Our constituents and communities need a multi-pronged approach to combat COVID-19 and protect public health, especially through these colder months.”
The letter also included nine demands for the Baker administration to do to combat the pandemic, one of which was an indoor mask mandate.
Here are the demands:
1. Achieving higher vaccination rates, including first and booster doses
2. Enhancing access to free COVID testing;
3. Establishing a data-driven statewide indoor mask policy, consistent with CDC recommendations that everyone age 2 and older wear masks indoors in areas of high or substantial transmission;
4. Implementing infection control and safety measures in workplaces;
5. Protecting against COVID spread in homes through stronger housing policy;
6. Stopping transmission in schools by complying with U.S. Department of Education guidance and CDC and AAP guidance for masking in schools, providing children with high quality masks, and other measures;
7. Establishing and maintaining effective communication with frontline communities;
8. Supporting frontline community members using safer methods; and
9. Investing in local public health
The AAP–mentioned by the lawmakers in their demands–is the American Academy of Pediatrics. Its web site describes it as “an organization of 67,000 pediatricians committed to the optimal physical, mental, and social health and well-being for all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.”
Other than Hinds and Gouveia, the following state legislators signed the bill: state Senator Becca Rausch (D-Needham), state Senator Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester), state Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester), state Representative Ruth Balser (D-Balser), state Representative Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge), state Representative Jim Hawkins (D-Attleboro), state Representative David LeBoeuf (D-Worcester), state Representative Liz Miranda (D-Roxbury), state Representative Tram Nguyen (D-Andover), state Representative Maria Robinson (D-Framingham), state Representative Lindsay Sabadosa (D-Northampton), and state Representative Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville).
Hinds and Gouveia could not be reached for comment on Thursday.
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