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SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — The city of Somerville is strongly recommending all residents and visitors wear face coverings in indoor settings, regardless of their vaccination status.
Officials said in a release on Friday that the updated guidance comes from concerns about the Delta variant and increasing Covid-19 cases both locally and across the nation.
The announcement comes days after the CDC updated it's mask guidelines -- urging fully vaccinated Americans to wear a mask in places with high spread of Covid-19.
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"We have worked hard to reach the point we’re at where we can get out and do most everything we did before this pandemic hit," Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone said. "In order to keep that going, we’re going to need people to take basic precautions like wearing a mask indoors."
Somerville currently requires all staff and visitors of public buildings to wear masks. Masks are also required indoors for staff and students of city schools, and the policy is expected to continue for the return to full time, in-person learning in the fall.
The city said that the virus is spreading quickly among people ages 20 to 39 in Massachusetts.
Data shows that as of last week, 54,520 Somerville residents -- or 72 percent of the city’s total population -- were fully vaccinated, and 58,790 had received at least one dose.
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Written by Rachel Armany