Board of Health Mask Recommendations

The Board of Health reviews the COVID-19 data from the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the recommendations from the DPH and Centers for Disease Control (CDC).

The reported number of COVID-19 infections has increased since the middle of July and a number of those cases are among individuals who are fully vaccinated.  Though a large number of Massachusetts residents are vaccinated, many can’t (those under 12 years of age) and some haven’t.  As with the rest of the country, Massachusetts is being affected by the delta variant of the COVID-19 virus.

In response to the increase in cases and the more transmissible variant, the CDC has recommended that individuals, regardless of vaccination status, wear face covering when indoors in areas of the country experiencing substantial or high transmission of COVID-19 infections.  A review of the CDC’s transmission data finds all of the counties in Massachusetts are currently considered areas of substantial or high transmission; Middlesex County is listed as an area of high transmission.

At their September 27, 2021 meeting, the Ayer Board of Health voted to Recommend the practice of wearing face coverings indoors in accordance the CDC’s recommendations.