Agenda Text
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That the Board of Health consider setting a public standard by which to evaluate when an indoor mask mandate should be enacted at their next meeting, and consider whether our community has already met the criteria for implementing a local mask mandate.
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Official Text
WHEREAS: The COVID-19 pandemic and all variants therein have demonstrated a threat to the health and safety of Somerville residents; and
WHEREAS: The Center for Disease Control cites the disproportionately high impact of COVID-19 cases, hospitalization and deaths on communities of color, immigrant communities, people with disabilities, and low-income people due to limited health care access, underlying health conditions, discrimination, occupation, and crowded housing conditions; and
WHEREAS: Masking indoors provides significant protection for individual and collective health, particularly for those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, such as people who are immunocompromised; and
WHEREAS: Other cities, such as Boston and Philadelphia, have set standards by which to determine when mask mandates should be implemented or ceased; and
WHEREAS: The public is not aware of any standard by which the Somerville Board of Health is determining when masking indoors should be mandatory; and
WHEREAS: Wastewater data shows that traces of the coronavirus have more than quadrupled in our area in the last month;
Be It Resolved: That the Somerville City Council asks the Board of Health to consider setting a public standard by which to evaluate when an indoor mask mandate should be enacted at their next meeting; and
Be It Further Resolved: That the Somerville City Council asks the Board of Health to consider whether our community has already met the criteria for implementing a local mask mandate.