What To Know About Melrose Mask Mandate In Effect

MELROSE, MA — Masks will have to be worn indoors in the city once again as local health officials scramble to help slow the unrelenting spread of COVID-19 fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.

The mask mandate requires face coverings for everyone ages 5 and older in all public and private indoor spaces, including businesses, fitness centers, restaurants, houses of worship, congregate care settings and more. Private homes are excluded.

The order went into effect Sun., Jan. 2.

"Though this tool may be simple, it does have a very strong effect in preventing spread," Health Director Anthony Chui said.

The Board of Health will revisit the mandate Feb. 8.

"We're not going to have a mask mandate forever," Chui said.

Read: With Masks Required In Melrose, Which Ones Still Work?

People will be subject to $50 fines for first offenses, $100 for second offenses and third for $150 and subsequent offenses. Chui said the goal is not be punitive, but rather educational.

Mayor Paul Brodeur said in the meeting chat the city has some quality masks it will make available to local businesses.

The vote came shortly after the state reported another single-day record of confirmed COVID-19 cases at a staggering 15,163.

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MelroseWakefield Hospital Chief Medical Officer Steve Sbardella opened the meeting by imploring people to wear masks and follow other established mitigation techniques.

"This is really difficult, people are so tired of COVID," he said. "But this is no time to take a break."

Sbardella said the hospital has seen its COVID patients increase from about seven or eight a few weeks ago to 31 last week.

"The trajectory was incredible," he said.

Sbardella warned of how quickly the omicron variant is spreading.

The meeting was uneventful, especially in light of health meetings in other North Shore communities this week. Only two people spoke during public comment, and there was no yelling over one another.

Public health data released last week showed 260 confirmed cases in Melrose over the previous two weeks, bringing the local total to over 3,000. Melrose's two-week positive test rate was at 5.81 percent.

Melrose remains one of the most vaccinated communities in Massachusetts, with 90 percent of eligible residents receiving at least one vaccination.

Melrose first instituted an indoor mask mandate in April 2020. At the time anyone without a mask was set to get a warning on their first offense and subject to a $50 fine on a second offense, $100 fine on a third offense and $300 fines on fourth and subsequent offenses.

The city has had a mask mandate for municipal buildings since the middle of this August, when the term "breakthrough cases" was still entering the lexicon.

Melrose has not been among the communities to schedule a vaccine mandate, something Boston and other large cities and towns announced plans for last week. While The Boston Globe reported Melrose was considering such a policy, Brodeur stopped short of committing to such a measure.

"Here in Melrose, we are constantly evaluating our policies and procedures and working closely with the Board of Health, business community, and our local hospital to identify the most effective measures we can deploy to protect our residents," he said in a statement to Patch.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi and Instagram at Melrose Happening. Subscribe to Melrose Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook