A Massachusetts town is modifying its face-covering order and will soon require residents medically excluded from wearing a face masks to wear a plastic face shield in public instead.
The announcement was made Friday by the Brookline Department of Public Health and Health Commissioner Dr. Swannie Jett.
The new order takes effect Sept. 10 and was enacted because the town had no alternative to wearing a face covering for people who are exempt for medical reasons.
"We are pleased with the level of cooperation with the existing face-covering requirement," Jett said in a statement. "However, it is important to reinforce the need for a protective layer that limits the possibility of spreading the coronavirus -- as a cloth face-covering does -- while ensuring people with medical limitations are protecting those around them from COVID-19 without jeopardizing their own wellness."
The face covering requirement was first enacted in Brookline back in March — before the statewide order, according to town officials.
