Beginning next week, masks will be required in all indoor public spaces in Newton, Massachusetts.
Mayor Ruthanne Fuller announced Thursday that the mask mandate would go into effect on Sept. 2. It impacts all indoor settings accessible to the public.
At restaurants and bars, customers will be allowed to be maskless "while seated and actively eating or drinking," Fuller said in the announcement.
Children under 2 and people for whom a mask would create a health risk are exempt from the mandate.
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The update comes as COVID-19 cases across Massachusetts have been on the rise with the highly-transmissible delta variant spreading. It follows a similar mandate that goes into effect Friday in Boston.
More on the coronavirus pandemic
Newton previously moved to require masks in public spaces in municipal building, with the school committee voting Tuesday to require masks in public schools — something education officials are now requiring statewide to start the school year.
"Our goal is to have our community continue to work together to stop the spread of this persistent virus to youngsters who are not eligible to receive a vaccine and others who are immunocompromised or face other health challenges," Fuller said Thursday.
