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Write Ahead, Wellesley

COVID-19 surge turns talk at Wellesley town meetings to mask mandates

December 21, 2021 by Bob Brown 10 Comments

The Wellesley Select Board briefly touched on the issue of indoor mask mandates (beyond current requirements in municipal buildings) at the end of its meeting on Monday night, raising the possibility that a more formal discussion of the topic could be in the offing as COVID-19 case numbers rise locally and across the state amidst the Delta and Omicron variant spread.

The town has seen of late as many as 10 cases a day, a bit less if you pull out the numbers for colleges in town. Wellesley Public Schools has seen an increase as well, pulling off its winter concerts last week after stepping up testing and contact tracing, but closing down its Child Lab until the new year (after initially closing it for a week) and announcing this week that it’s limiting spectators at its boys and girls hockey games to parents/guardians of seniors only out of concern about COVID-19 spread.

As one reader noted, it’s about time to start reporting on what IS still happening rather than what’s being nixed…

Mask mandate questions

Select Board member Lise Olney, noting Newton’s indoor mask mandate, said during the Board’s Dec. 20 meeting that she keeps getting questions from constituents about an indoor mask mandate and asked about whether the Board of Health has discussed the matter.

Separately, the Charles River Regional Chamber recently asked its business members for their opinions on whether an indoor mask mandate is needed in the state and got mixed views, with some saying it is needed since so many won’t wear masks voluntarily and others saying a mandate will only further hurt small businesses.

town mask sign covid The Wellesley Board of Health dove into the subject of mask mandates at its Dec. 16 meeting, concluding that such a mandate was not appropriate at this time.

The Health Department has issued a strong advisory for those age 5 and above to wear masks indoors in public settings, and encourages getting vaccines, including boosters. The Health Department has also distributed masking signs for businesses to display if they wish.

The town’s mask advisory is in line with a Massachusetts Department of Public Health advisory issued on Dec. 21. DPH also released results of a review of breakthrough COVID cases among those who are vaccinated and found that about 97% of such cases do not result in serious illness, while adding that unvaccinated people are 5 times more likely to get infected than vaccinated ones.

At the Dec. 16 Board of Health meeting, Health Department Director Lenny Izzo says he has received several emails from residents requesting that the Board consider a town-wide indoor mask mandate.

Mulling masks

Board member Dr. Marcia Testa-Simonson stressed that there are ways people can protect themselves with masks in public, by wearing properly fitted N95 masks. Cloth masks are more from protecting others from you, if you have COVID-19, though still with limited effectiveness. The cloth mask movement gained popularity when Food & Drug Administration-approved N95 masks were harder to come by, she said.

“People who are concerned about their family members and themselves, if they go out in a crowd and are concerned about catching [COVID-19], then get an N95 fitted mask, and that would be the message because that prevents both droplet and aerosol spread, which is the way this virus spreads,” she said. “It’s important for people to know the different masks and how they should be worn.”

KN95 masks would be the next best thing to N95 masks, she added.

“There’s a concern when you’re mandating something that’s not worn effectively,” Testa-Simonson said. “That’s why people have to know that by a town mandate where people think they’re safe, and they’re taking their masks on and off, it probably makes it worse…and that’s the concern.”

Izzo said he will work to add more information to its COVID-19 information hub about masks and proper use of them. The Board isn’t planning to meet again until the new year.

If the Select Board does add a mask mandate item to its meeting agenda in the near future, Chair Tom Ulfelder said it will be important to include medical experts to ensure a balanced discussion.


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Filed Under: COVID-19, Health

Comments

  1. Jane says

    December 21, 2021 at 12:02 pm

    I hope a mask mandate goes into effect.

    Reply
  2. Allison says

    December 21, 2021 at 2:06 pm

    As a mom of 3 toddlers who are currently unable to be vaccinated I will look for stores with a mask mandate. It is a simple measure that ensure safety and respect for all. I cannot help but feel this population has been forgotten when the town discussed removing mask requirements, especially because an appropriately fitting kn95/n95 does not exist for toddlers.

    Reply
    • Jan Harris says

      December 22, 2021 at 12:08 am

      https://miyool.com/products/kf94-extra-small

      Just FYI…These are the ones my 3 year old grandson wears happily all day at preschool—the first ones which have been so successful. They are Korean-made KF94s, strongly recommended by my super-conscientious daughter and son-in-law.

      Reply
    • Rose says

      December 22, 2021 at 8:36 am

      Google “mask nerd” and check out his twitter and YouTube. He’s a mechanical engineer who has his own equipment and is doing testing on masks. He has solid data on the KF94’s from Korea and they have great filtration and fit. He has a four year old, so he’s been able to test the kids sizes on young kids. He’s got recommendations for toddler aged kids and suppliers he’s bought the masks from. I just switched to KF 94’s and the fit is great and are super easy to breath in.

      Reply
  3. Gerardo Rocha says

    December 21, 2021 at 9:20 pm

    I certainly hope the mask mandate is implemented to avoid the spread of this new strain of the virus. Even if vaccinated people get a mild illness, they will transmit it to their loved ones, friends and the rest of the community (some with health issues).
    It is a basic civic duty to look after for the community and not only to oneself.
    Health Department Director, what are you waiting for ? You see how the new strain of the virus is spreading in other cities and countries. Do you expect the virus will treat Wellesley differently ?

    Reply
  4. maggie egger says

    December 21, 2021 at 10:38 pm

    I strongly disagree with mask mandates. The data is clear that the masks do not stop the spread as they are usually worn incorrectly or the wrong type such as cloth masks. Please wear your N95 if you are concerned or vulnerable but allow the rest of us to choose. This variant has shown to be mild. It is time to put this pandemic behind us as we have very good medicines to treat and the lockdowns, isolation and masking has caused extensive harm in the form of suicides, drug overdoses and impaired child development.

    Reply
    • Jenny L. says

      December 22, 2021 at 3:33 pm

      While the hospitalization rates are rising through the roof, we cannot “put the pandemic behind us” as much as we desperately want to. I agree that lockdowns and isolation is no longer necessary. However, masking in indoor places is not nearly as burdensome, does not lead to suicides or overdoses, and really should not be lumped with much more serious measures. I absolutely oppose school closings or lockdowns but can tolerate wearing a mask at Whole Foods to minimize the spread and subsequent hospitalization increases,

      Reply
  5. Board of Health Supporter says

    December 22, 2021 at 9:05 am

    Let’s leave the masking decisions/mandates to the professionals on the Board of Health and Health Department who understand epidemiology and non-emotive data analysis. Perhaps listening to their meetings is a good place to start to better understand the issues factoring into the decision making.

    Reply
  6. Time to Move On says

    December 22, 2021 at 2:07 pm

    Mask mandates are genuinely stupid at this point. Everyone who wants a vaccine (which are really preemptive therapeutics in the case of COVID) can get one, other than kids younger than 5 and for them COVID is basically a cold or a mild flu. If you are still concerned, wear an N95 mask or stay home. The rest of us need to move on, especially kids who need to see faces for development and educational purposes.

    Reply
  7. Petra says

    December 23, 2021 at 12:21 pm

    What’s “genuinely stupid” here is framing masking/vaxxing as an individual “choice.”
    Unvaxxed? Unmasked? You’re a welcoming host for the virus, giving it more potential to mutate, as well as a potential vector spreading the virus to others – even those who are masked and/or vaxxed. In other words, the results of your “choice” can lead directly to COVID infections, severe illness, even death.

    Break-through infections are called “mild” only when they do not result in hospitalization or death. Those with “mild” symptoms – which can be miserable and debilitating – miss a week or more of school or work.

    I’m guessing you wouldn’t hire Typhoid Mary to cook for your family. Let’s “move on” safely together.

    Reply

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