Face coverings will be required in all public town buildings in Brookline, Massachusetts, starting Aug. 8, the town officials announced on Wednesday.
The announcement comes as coronavirus cases in the town and across Massachusetts are on the rise. Brookline officials are also urging residents to get vaccinated if they haven’t already.
“With COVID-19 cases in Brookline steadily climbing, we decided that the town needed to reassess the current building protocols and take this step to ensure the continued safety of residents and staff,” Dr. Swannie Jett, Brookline's health commissioner, said in a statement. “We ask that residents wear masks inside public town buildings, but we also encourage residents to get vaccinated in order to protect their family, friends and neighbors from the virus.”
According to the statement, the town is dealing with more weekly cases of COVID-19 than during the same time last year, a trend Brookline health officials are attributing to the highly contagious delta variant.
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The new guidance also requires town staff to wear face coverings when interacting with members of the public, and while in common areas of town buildings including elevators, hallways and shared office spaces.
