Public health officials in Boston are weighing lifting the city’s facemask requirement for schools and businesses.
The city’s Public Health Commission will meet Tuesday to discuss the matter. It comes the day after students and staff at Massachusetts public schools are officially not required to wear face coverings indoors.
Gov. Charlie Baker announced earlier this month that the statewide mandate for schools would end Feb. 28.
Tuesday’s discussion also comes as the federal Centers for Disease Control eased its coronavirus guidelines on Friday, determining that most Americans live in places where they can safely dispense with wearing masks. The agency is still advising people, including schoolchildren, to wear masks where the risk of COVID-19 is high.
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Mayor Michelle Wu this weekend said the city appears to be headed in the “right direction” with its COVID-19 measures. Boston’s positivity rate was at 4%, compared to around 2% statewide.
“It’s such a different place now than it was a week ago or a month ago, so we want to keep those trends going,” WU said Saturday according to WBUR.
At the same time, she noted, many families are also returning this weekend from travels over school vacation week.
“We want to be intentional with how we change and lift our policies,” she said, according to WBUR.
