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In November 2020 Governor Charlie Baker issued Covid-19 Order No. 55, the mandate which expanded mask wearing to almost any time a person is outdoors in a public location. It was ignored by some, followed reluctantly by many, and embraced by none that I knew. In walking around the neighborhood in those days, I encountered a significant number of people maskless.
However, as time went on, compliance grew widespread. Eventually almost everyone I encountered in Westwood was wearing a mask outdoors in public spaces. By the end of winter, mask holdouts were a rare and vanishing species.
Then on Tuesday, April 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued revised guidance on mask wearing. According to CDC, the fully vaccinated can safely participate without a mask in outdoor exercise, outdoor dining, and outdoor gatherings with a small group of other people.
On the heels of the CDC's announcement, Governor Baker on Thursday, April 29, 2021, issued COVID-19 Order No. 67. Order 67 rescinds the outdoor face mask requirement that had been in place since November 2020 and replaces it with a somewhat lesser requirement.
Now in Massachusetts, for people over age 5, a mask is still always required in public locations indoors. But for public locations outdoors, a mask is only required if (1) the person is unable to maintain a distance of at least six feet from non-household members or (2) the person is attending an event or gathering. For private home gatherings, Order 67 encourages mask wearing but does not require it.
Exceptions to the mask requirement remain substantively the same as before. People with a medical or disabling condition who are unable to wear a mask are excused. Those needing to communicate with the hearing impaired or disabled may go maskless when a mask would impair communication. People in a personal vehicle are excepted as long as they are not with a non-household member. Also excepted are eating and drinking in restaurants, receiving dental care, swimming, and other situations that may be permitted by state agencies related to public health, labor, energy and environmental affairs, and education.
Governor Baker's latest order became effective at 12:01 a.m. on Friday morning. I saw small but noticeable changes in behavior around town a few days before then, likely due to the CDC's similar, but different guidance. This may cause some confusion.
On Tuesday evening, I was masked and taking the dogs for a walk with my fully vaccinated, maskless neighbor. I also noticed different couples walking, one with a mask and the other without. Later in the week, I noticed many more people than usual wearing masks over only their mouths, leaving their noses uncovered, both indoors and outdoors. This behavior had been prevalent in November and December 2020, but not so much afterward. I also saw many people wearing masks as expected.
Loosening of mask requirements is certainly welcome (sing with me, hallelujah!). That said, the current guidance from CDC and the governor's new order has already resulted in creating a visual hodgepodge that can make it easy to be confused about what's required. On Friday, April 30, 2021, Westwood Little League felt the need to issue this statement of clarification:
"With today's easing of the State's mask mandate, there has been some confusion as to whether or not our kids need to continue to wear masks in the field of the play. Regardless of whether or not they are socially distant, the kids must continue to wear their masks at all times. The new relaxing of the outdoor mask mandate does not apply to our sector, Youth and Amateur Sports, and, until that rule is revised, we ask that the kids, coaches, and umpires continue to wear their masks at ALL times."
But what sort of clarity is there for the rest of us who are not Westwood Little Leaguers? CDC has released an infographic that can help clarify safety risks for the non-vaccinated versus the vaccinated. Following the guidance on this CDC resource can be helpful for making a judgement regarding the varying risks a person encounters in various situations while being fully vaccinated versus not fully vaccinated. On the CDC "Choosing Safer Activities" infographic, riskier situations are coded in red and the safest situations are green. People may understand the CDC infographic to mean that green activities are approved. However, the Governor's Order 67 provides the obligation that Massachusetts residents are expected to follow regarding mask wearing, which is different from the CDC guidance.
These are important differences. While the CDC guidance distinguishes between acceptable behavior for vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals, Governor Baker's Order 67 does not. Order 67 applies to both the vaccinated and unvaccinated in Massachusetts, with the exceptions to mask wearing already mentioned above. Governor Baker's Order does not excuse mask wearing in outdoor gatherings, even for vaccinated individuals.
Given an April 27, 2020 message from Westwood Health Director Jared Orsini to town residents, a conservative approach to lifting mask wearing requirements may not be uncalled for. Mr. Orsini indicates the weekly COVID-19 report from April 22, 2021 confirmed 63 new cases of COVID-19 in the last 2 weeks, rising from the last report's 44 confirmed cases. The percent positive test rate in Westwood increased to over 3 percent compared to 2.3 percent from the prior week. Mr. Orsini states, "Please note as of now, if you are fully vaccinated, you are still responsible to wear a mask where required."
[Note: This article has been updated with corrections and clarifications regarding the directives of Order 67. Revision posted May 1, 2021 at 11:45 a.m.].
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