Salem’s Board of Health passes indoor mask mandate

SALEM, Mass. — Salem’s Board of Health unanimously passed an indoor mask mandate for all businesses to begin late this month and continue through the city’s busiest tourist season.

The mandate requires people in any public indoor space or business to wear a mask regardless of vaccination status, from Aug. 23 through Nov. 13. The board can vote to extend the policy based on COVID-19 rates at that time.

The vote follows the school committee’s decision Monday to require all students and staff to wear masks in the classroom when the new school year begins.

Board of Health members Tuesday cited the Delta variant and rising COVID-19 cases in the city and throughout the country as tourists begin heading to the Witch City ahead of Halloween. An estimated 100,000 visitors are expected.

“We are a porous community,” said Jeremy Schiller, chair of the board, in the meeting by Zoom. “We’re seeing a lot of people from outside of our community and outside of our state and coming from areas that don’t have the vaccination rates we have here in Massachusetts. So, it is pretty concerning to me personally.”

Board members pointed to the July COVID-19 cluster in Provincetown of more than 1,000 cases, most of which were in vaccinated people.

“This is not a big ask,” said Health Agent David Greenbaum of the mask requirement. “This is not shutting down any businesses or limiting businesses. In fact, this is hopefully preventing any of that to occur by protecting all of us.”

At Trolley Depot, cashier Dora Oquendo arrived at work Tuesday to learn she must begin wearing her mask at the register again. Customers, too, are required to wear masks in the shop, as posted on a sign outside the door. The owner decided to reinstate its own indoor mask policy in anticipation of the board’s vote that night.

“I hate it. But you got to be on the safe side,” Oquendo said of having to wear a mask again. “We got tourists coming in. We don’t know who’s being vaccinated. So, we might as well put our mask on to be safe.”

But critics say the city is overstepping its authority and the mandate will only cripple an already struggling restaurant and entertainment industry.

“I’m not wearing masks,” said resident Tom Mattson. “I don’t think they should be doing that. I think it should be optional.”

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