NAHANT — Residents have received new guidance when it comes to mask wearing.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) is following new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) guidance that recommends that even vaccinated individuals wear masks outside the home when in indoor spaces, and are also advised to resume wearing masks if at increased risk for COVID-19 or if someone in the household is at increased risk or unvaccinated.
Town Administrator Antonio Barletta said that the town agrees with the guidance aiming to protect high-risk individuals, especially with the Delta variant of COVID-19 proving to be more dangerous and infectious to even vaccinated individuals.
Public Health Nurse Deb Murphy said that currently Nahant is doing well handling COVID-19, even though in the last two weeks the town had a “very small uptick” in cases.
Barletta said that with the number of positive cases starting to increase, Nahant residents should consider wearing a mask in certain situations.
“Residents should consider wearing a mask when inside, in locations that have a lot of people indoors, and of course if they have any underlying health conditions,” he said. “Essentially, if you are in a situation (where) there’s an increased level of risk, even if you are vaccinated, you should consider wearing a mask. Even though currently there’s no mandate to wear one.”
Murphy told The Item that she began wearing her mask again a couple of weeks ago when going grocery shopping or anywhere inside. The nurse also added that, while nothing is official, it’s likely that students will be wearing masks when they return to school.
According to the CDC, scientific trials have shown that the vaccine is highly effective at preventing hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.
