mask mandate

The mask mandate for Massachusetts public schools will remain in effect through at least Nov. 1, education officials announced Monday, adding the date when some schools can apply to lift that mandate by showing an 80% vaccination rate for students and staff. Middle and high schools that have reached that target can apply to lift the mandate on Oct. 15,…

Maine legislative leaders are requiring lawmakers to wear masks when they convene next week for a special session. The Legislative Council voted 7-3 to return to a mask mandate for lawmakers who’ll be gathering amid a growing number of daily infections driven by the delta variant, the Portland Press Herald reported. The state is dealing with near-record levels of...

The city of Salem, Massachusetts, has released details for when its free walk-up rapid COVID testing center downtown will be open through the Halloween season. People going to large indoor Halloween events in the Witch City will have to test negative for the coronavirus, its board of health recently decided, in a bid to prevent the virus’ spread on top…

A Massachusetts man was arrested this week for allegedly assaulting a conductor on an MBTA Commuter Rail train after the conductor asked him to put a mask on. Daniel Libby, 40, of Marlborough, is charged with assault and battery on a public official. MBTA Transit Police said they received a call around 5:20 p.m. Wednesday to respond to the Braintree…

Anyone 12 and older going to TD Garden for any event, including Boston Bruins and Celtics games, will need to show proof they are fully vaccinated or recently tested negative for COVID starting next week, the venue announced Tuesday. Everyone at least 3 years old will need to wear a mask except when they’re eating and drinking, following a city…

The company that owns Vermont’s Stowe Mountain Resort ski area and 33 other resorts across the country is going to require that skiers be masked when indoors at the resorts in the upcoming ski season. In an email to season pass holders this week, Vail Resorts announced that people ages 12 and over will be required to show proof of…

Another major Massachusetts agricultural fair will require guests to wear face coverings indoors. Organizers of the more than 200-year-old Topsfield Fair said Wednesday that the mandate is in line with a Topsfield Board of Health directive issued Monday. “Our goal is to always provide a safe and enjoyable atmosphere at the Topsfield Fair,” General Manager James O’Brien said in...

An offensive post on the public Facebook page of Worcester’s police union is under investigation Tuesday and being roundly criticized for showing a doctored picture of Mayor Joseph Petty with a Hitler-style mustache added.

An offensive post on the public Facebook page of Worcester’s police union compared the city’s mayor to Hitler after the return of the city’s mask mandate.

A citywide mask mandate went into effect in Worcester Monday, where the number of COVID cases has been climbing for 10 weeks.

Masks are required in all indoor public spaces in Worcester, Massachusetts, as a new mandate takes effect Monday due to a spike in COVID cases.

Masks are required in all indoor public spaces in Worcester, Massachusetts, as a new mandate took effect Monday due to a spike in COVID cases. Officials in Worcester announced the citywide mask mandate Friday. “I think it’s a huge bummer — only because I am so tired of all of this, but I think it’s absolutely essential and until...

Officials in Worcester, Massachusetts, announced Friday that they are issuing a citywide mask mandate that will take effect on Monday, Sept. 20. Masks will be required indoors at all private businesses in the city, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said. City employees will also be required to be vaccinated or be tested weekly effective Nov. 1. The mask mandate applies…

People going to large indoor Halloween events in Salem, Massachusetts, will have to test negative for COVID-19. The Board of Health voted Friday to require anyone attending indoor festivities where there are more than 100 people, regardless of vaccine status, to provide a negative test. The policy will be in effect from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1. The huge crowds…

The Board of Health in West Springfield, Massachusetts, has approved an indoor mask mandate that takes effect the same day as the opening, for the first time in two years, of what’s billed as the largest agricultural fair on the East Coast. The mask mandate starts Friday, the first day of The Big E, a more than 100-year-old multistate...

Halloween revelers would need to test negative for COVID before attending large, ticketed, indoor events in Salem, Massachusetts, this October under a proposal being considered on Friday. The Witch City’s board of health will hold a special meeting on the subject, Mayor Kim Driscoll said in a Facebook post Thursday. “Given what we have seen with the Delta variant...

Portland may become Maine’s first city with an indoor mask requirement since state restrictions were lifted earlier this year. The Portland City Council held a workshop Wednesday to discuss days after city health officials recommended leaders make mask-wearing mandatory in all indoor public spaces, regardless of whether or not someone has been vaccinated. In recent weeks, Maine has seen...

The Transportation Security Administration is increasing the penalty for people who violate the mandate to wear masks on planes, trains and other forms of transportation to help stop the spread of COVID-19.

City councilors in Portland will determine whether or not a mask mandate will be put in effect.

The Vermont Agency of Education is extending until Oct. 4 its recommendation that all students wear masks at all times in school to reduce the spread of the virus that causes COVID-19, Gov. Phil Scott said Wednesday. The agency had recommended schools require masks for the first 10 days of school and then allow schools to loosen masking restrictions for…