SALEM, Mass. — An indoor mask mandate for all city buildings in Salem takes effect Monday.
The mandate applies to all city buildings including city hall, the public library, and the police department.
The mandate will be in place until further notice. It applies to everyone, even people who are fully vaccinated.
It comes as COVID-19 cases are climbing across the country and the state.
In Massachusetts, the 7-day average of new cases has increased about 63% from just two weeks ago.
Focus is also now shifting from the delta variant to the omicron variant, which is spreading like wildfire throughout Europe.
Health experts predict it will do the same thing soon enough in the U.S., potentially over-burdening an already strained health care system.
Some argue mask mandates will help slow the spread. “There are certain states like New Hampshire and Massachusetts where the health care systems are beginning to get pressed,” said former FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. “Mask mandates are the easiest thing we can do sort of collective action that puts some downward pressure on spread.”
The Boston Globe reports state Rep. William Driscoll Jr. is in favor of a statewide mask mandate, and he thinks the topic could even be discussed at a legislative hearing scheduled for Thursday.
Not everyone is in favor of mask mandates, though.
“What you’re saying is, thank you for making the sacrifice and getting the vaccine and getting the boosters, doing the right thing, and you’re still in the penalty box,” said New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu.