Health

Barnstable County considered a ‘high-transmission’ area

BOURNE, Mass. — According to the CDC, Barnstable County is the only county in Massachusetts with a high transmission rate for COVID-19, so this is where the CDC said people should hang on to their masks indoors, even if they’ve been vaccinated.

“It’s kind of a scary time with what’s going on, we know of like three or four people who have gotten COVID despite being vaccinated within the past few weeks, so it’s like, ‘okay this is for real,’” said Tom Darci in Bourne.

Darci said he understands why the CDC now recommends people should go back to wearing a mask indoors in high-risk areas for COVID-19, including Cape Cod.

>>>RELATED: CDC recommends masks indoors for some vaccinated people

“All the places that are vacation places are in big trouble, so that’s an extra reason for wearing masks here. I’m like, ‘who knows, people are from all over the place,’ we heard [Provincetown] was really badly hit, so that’s kind of scary,” Darci said.

“If they want to that’s their choice, but don’t force people,” said Ron Packard, who doesn’t plan on getting the COVID vaccine or wearing a mask again.

“I just went a year without getting sick, you know, so I feel comfortable,” Packard said.

But others said they don’t mind going back to wearing a mask inside if it means putting an end to the pandemic.

“It hasn’t been that long that we’ve had them off, I feel like it’s not that big a deal at this point,” said Suzie Carroll in Bourne. “Hopefully we can wear them inside for a little longer and more people get vaccinated and maybe if they get annoyed that people have to wear them again, more people will get vaccinated.”

The governor’s office told Boston 25 News they’re still reviewing the new guidelines from the CDC before making a decision on whether to change mask guidelines in Massachusetts.

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