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Two Massachusetts Communities Keep Outdoor Mask Mandates In Place

May 4, 2021

Massachusetts no longer has an outdoor mask mandate in effect, but that’s not stopping two Massachusetts towns from doing it.

Brookline and Salem will keep the outdoor mask mandate in place, as FOX News reports.

“The town of Brookline will not follow suit with the state’s decision to lift the mask mandate today,” Brookline health commissioner Dr. Swannie Jett, according to FOX News. “Our face-covering requirement has served as a protective layer that limits the possibility of spreading COVID-19 and we are reluctant to relax it at this time without further public input and review by the Advisory Council on Public Health.”

Meanwhile, a public health official in the city of Salem told the network that the town just wants to be on the safe side.

“We have to couple an abundance of caution with the consideration that people are probably exhausted with dealing with the pandemic and want some latitude — particularly for those who are vaccinated,” the local board of health chairman, Dr. Jeremy Schiller, told Fox. “We have to follow the science and follow the [pandemic] trends in our city.”


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