Board Of Health Rescinds Indoor Mask Mandate
Photo: sengchoy/istock.
Report on The Meeting Of The Amherst Board of Health Meeting March 10,2022
The meeting was held over Zoom and was recorded. All board members were present.
Citing the precipitous decline in cases of Covid-19 and associated hospitalizations and the 88% vaccination rate in town, Public Health Director Jennifer Brown recommended that the indoor mask mandate in Amherst be discontinued immediately. Masks will no longer be required in town buildings and facilities. Businesses may determine their own policies.
This change is in line with decisions of many other towns in Hampshire County. There are currently 151 positive cases in Amherst, down from 560 one month ago. The 14-day incidence is now 59, as opposed to over 90 last week. Wastewater indicators peaked in December and are now down to August, 2021 levels. Also, Cooley Dickinson Hospital has increased availability of beds in the ICU and medical units. Brown added that she has been in regular contact with School Superintendent Mike Morris and that she expects the mask mandate in schools to be ended on March 14. Most of the recent cases in Amherst have been in the ages 17 to 27 and have been traced to social gatherings and sporting events. UMass ended its mask mandate this past week.
Masks will still be required in medical settings, on public transportation, in congregate settings, and when someone is ill. Residents are encouraged to wear masks if they are medically vulnerable or feel more comfortable wearing one. Businesses can require masks, but are not mandated to do so.
Board members raised several concerns about ending the mask mandate, especially with the upcoming spring break at UMass this coming week. Board member Tim Randhir was reassured that the positivity rate for testing at UMass was 1.28 % and 97% of students are fully vaccinated. He felt that students can self-moderate their behavior and symptoms.
The ending of the mask mandate coincides with the state cutting back on many public testing sites at the end of the month. Brown was not sure how this cutback would affect the free community PCR testing available at UMass. She did say that Amherst will be receiving more rapid antigen tests for distribution. State Representative Mindy Domb said that she and State Senator Jo Comerford are asking the state to continue the UMass testing site at least until the end of the semester. She said that PCR testing is important for early detection of outbreaks.
Board member Steve George asked about the BA-2 variant of Omicron now being detected in various localities. Brown said the Health Department will be keeping track of the incidence and can reinstate the mask mandate if needed, as occurred when the Delta variant surfaced in August. Member Maureen Millea expressed concern about those at risk for severe disease and asked the town to clarify access to “test and treat” where those who test positive for COVID are immediately given a prescription for treatment with paxlovid. A doctor’s prescription is needed for paxlovid treatment, and Millea wanted to make sure this could be obtained expeditiously.
George noted that some businesses in neighboring towns have set aside certain hours when masks are required for those more comfortable wearing masks in public spaces. The Board unanimously endorsed the ending of the mask mandate.
Board member Lauren Mills asked for vaccine rates by race and ethnicity. Domb said she has been requesting this information but has yet to receive it from the State Department of Public Health. The Board voted unanimously to support this request.
Public Comment Robust Over Mask Mandate
Brown said that she has received many comments by mail, email and in public on both sides of the mask mandate. She said she has read all of them and given careful consideration to all as well as to state and CDC recommendations. Although she said most comments were respectful, a few contained racist and antisemitic symbols and expletives. These have been hard on the health department staff and led some to fear for their safety. She noted a recent communication from Domb urging residents to recommit to our connection and commitment to each other and to “be kind.”
Board of Health Chair Nancy Gilbert said she is aware of public health directors and staff around the country resigning due to harassment from those who disagree with their policies.
Many members of the public offered comments on the mask mandate. Isolde Ortega Bustamante urged the extension of the mandate until the end of March when college students have been back from spring break for a week or two. Susan Lowery and Peter Kenstall agreed.
On the other hand, BID executive director Gabrielle Gould and Claudia Pazmany of the Amherst Chamber of Commerce noted the hardship for local businesses caused by requiring them to enforce the indoor mask mandate. Gould noted that 70% of Amherst businesses are owned by women, LGBT individuals, or immigrants who can be uncomfortable enforcing the mandate.
Others asserted that masks harm young children and spoke of their desire to eliminate that harm. Melissa Axtell, Matthew Lackner, Cora Fernandez Anderson, and Alecia Reed supported ending of the mandate for this reason. Kristen Aurigemma said that “a lot of hate came with the mandate, and people should do what they think is right.” Heath Hatch said that, as a partially hearing-impaired person, masks made it more difficult for him to communicate.
Update On Mission Cantina
Health Inspector Ed Smith said that there have been no further mask complaints about Mission Cantina since the last BOH meeting. He said that the restaurant has completed all the paperwork necessary for renewal of its license, and that a magistrate dismissed the fines that the town had levied against the restaurant for noncompliance of the mask mandate at a recent show-cause hearing.
The next BOH meeting will be on April 21, due to religious holidays the previous week. The board will discuss the format of future meetings at that time. Gilbert noted that public attendance has increased with the remote format. Randhir expressed a preference for hybrid meetings (i.e. with both in-person and remote participation), but Gilbert was unsure which town buildings could accommodate that format.
It seems the Town’s decision, through its Board of Health, to end indoor masking requirements in public places, reflects the political reality that a majority of Amherst residents are also students at UMass. And since the students’ overwhelming vote on ballot question attached to this year’s SGA election favored lifting mask mandates, one is left to wonder whether politics is trumping the public health.
For more on this tension between public health and real-politic, please consider:
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/12/opinion/public-health-trust.html?campaign_id=2&emc=edit_th_20220313&instance_id=55688&nl=todaysheadlines®i_id=55139425&segment_id=85453&user_id=385a4868630e6bb960e8a4c8cd900028
Even more remarkably, individuals working (teaching a class, doing lab work, holding office hours…) in the public schools (or at the University) have no way to ensure that those in their immediate proximity will continue to mask in the interest of public health: indeed, faculty have been advised that — given the “asymmetrical relationship” they are presumed to have with their students — even expressing an “expectation” amounts to a “requirement” that’s now barred by the new “mask-if-you-wanna’ rules” we now have….