Peabody City Hall To Resume Full Hours, Lift Mask Requirement

PEABODY, MA —Facemasks will no longer be required inside Peabody City Hall as of Tuesday with offices set to resume full business hours and operations on June 21 — more than 15 months after the onset of the coronavirus health crisis.

Mayor Ted Bettencourt said the city's State of Emergency declared in March 2020 will also be rescinded on June 15.

"Now with vaccinations increasing and public health data continuing to improve, and with guidance from the state and CDC, we can return City Hall to regular business hours safely and responsibly," Bettencourt said on Friday.

On Tuesday, employees and visitors to City Hall will no longer be required to wear face masks or social distance inside the building. The city asks that those who are not vaccinated continue to follow coronavirus-related protocols.

Vaccinated employees and visitors are encouraged to continue to wear masks if they choose to do so.

As of Friday, the city said that 61 percent of residents (34,016 people) have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and 51 percent (28,390 people) are fully vaccinated.

"The latest data from the Health Department shows that we have turned a remarkable corner in our pandemic response," Bettencourt said.

On June 21, City Hall will return to full business hours. Mondays through Wednesdays, it will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursdays, it will be open 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Fridays, it will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

One entrance will be open on the Chestnut Street side of the building. All offices will be fully staffed.

More information can be found here.

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(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)