Marblehead Emergency Mask Order In Effect Tuesday
MARBLEHEAD, MA — A Marblehead special meeting of the Board of Health to vote on an indoor mask mandate for all public spaces in town turned chaotic Monday night as the vote took place while several viewers of the virtual public meeting loudly voiced their objection to the measure.
While the Board will meet virtually again on Wednesday night to affirm the vote, the order was set to take effect at 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning amid a recent rapid rise in coronavirus cases.
"It is time that we do everything we can to protect the public," Board of Health Chair Todd Belf-Becker said.
That timing drew the ire of several who logged onto the public meeting seeking to participate in public comment — which was not allowed. Because there was no mechanism to mute those not on the Board of Health, however, the vote was hastily taken while several viewers, who said they were residents, objected to the lack of public notice and participation in the mandate process.
"We have a policy that we have voted on and approved about public participation and we do not have a requirement to have the public speak," Belf-Becker said. "That's not the way this meeting is run tonight."
"I, as a member of the Board of Health, and Ms. (Joanne) Miller, and Dr. Belf-Becker have been elected by the town," Board of Health member Helaine Hazlett said. "And we have enough knowledge, and enough time that we've spent on this — we've lived this for two years — and we have all the knowledge that we need right now to make this decision."
The Board of Health immediately adjourned the 32-minute meeting after the vote.
The decision orders that anyone 2 years old and older must wear a mask in all indoor businesses and public spaces, including common areas of multi-unit residential areas. There are exceptions for when people are seated in food and drink service establishments and when they are actively eating and drinking at entertainment venues.
The order is set to last until March 8, but Board members said they will consider lifting it earlier if conditions allow.
Enforcement will start with a warning and could escalate to $300 per day, per incident.
The Board voted to issue a "strong recommendation" for masks at its last meeting earlier this month but called the emergency meeting Monday to vote on making those masks mandatory given the increase in cases, which Belf-Becker said he believes are being underreported because some residents are simply self-isolating after taking at-home rapid tests.
Danvers, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott have voted to reimpose their respective indoor mask mandates in recent days, with Salem going further and ordering vaccination proof for all those entering bars, restaurants, gyms and other entertainment venues.
The Beverly Board of Health is set to discuss both a mask and vaccine mandate for indoor businesses on Tuesday.
"(This will) bring our communities together to get behind the effort to use this mitigation approach to prevent more and more people from being infected," Miller said. "We are not on an island. So looking to our neighbors and respecting that they're asking their community members to mask. I believe it's important to acknowledge that and respect that."
(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)
This article originally appeared on the Marblehead Patch
