Consistent with the latest recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Board of Health voted at its Feb. 28 meeting to immediately rescind the mask mandate that was in effect for all indoor public spaces in Harvard. The mandate was put in place Jan. 15 and was due to expire March 14. The CDC’s latest hospital and case number data for Worcester County showed a medium level of risk, and only high-risk communities are being advised to continue requiring masks.
The following day town administration followed the board’s lead, advising departments that as of March 1, the municipal building mask mandate could be lifted at the discretion of each department head. As a result, Town Hall and the Public Safety Building will no longer require visitors to wear masks. However, Library Director Mary Wilson told the Press that the mask mandate will stay in effect at the library until March 9, the date the schools are scheduled to make masks optional. Wilson said it made sense to align with the School Committee’s decision to wait until two weeks had passed after school vacation before removing the mandate.
Council on Aging Director Debbie Thompson told the Press masks will now be recommended but not required at Hildreth House. She added that everyone who enters the building should be fully vaccinated and should have received a booster shot. Congregate lunches will not return until April, but the weekly men’s and women’s coffee groups will resume next week. Masks will still be required on public transportation per CDC guidelines, and that includes Council on Aging vans.
The CDC recommends that anyone at high risk for severe illness should ask their health care provider whether they should wear a mask. Also, those with symptoms, a positive COVID-19 test, or exposure to someone who tested positive should wear a mask. Board of Health Chair Libby Levison said private businesses or institutions may choose to continue to require masks. She added that the board may reinstate the mandate at any time “if the numbers change.”
