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Date: 10/27/2021
WEST SPRINGFIELD — Regulations requiring the wearing of face masks indoors were lifted Oct. 20, about a month after the West Springfield Board of Health had implemented them.
The local rule, placed into effect Sept. 15, required face coverings “in all indoor public places as well as private places open to the public, regardless of vaccination status, for those over the age of two years old,” as a precaution against COVID-19.
The Board of Health order also recommended that West Springfield residents obtain a COVID-19 vaccination, maintain social distancing, wash hands frequently, use hand sanitizer and follow other recommendations from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Last week, West Springfield Public Health Director Jeanne Galloway said the suspension of the local regulation was prompted by a decrease in the number of positive COVID-19 cases in town, and a discussion of those numbers at a Board of Health meeting.
Mayor William Reichelt had submitted a letter to the board asking that the regulation be lifted.
“At the time of your decision to implement a mask mandate, the Big E fair and its 1.498 million visitors was days away and the uncertainty of the impact of that large of an event on the community necessitated a cautious approach, rendering the indoor mask mandate appropriate at that time,” he wrote. “Since the implementation of the mask mandate, my office has received regular complaints about enforcement, from both residents and businesses. The Health Department simply does not have the manpower or the resources to continually police the mask mandate, and it is not fair to businesses in town to expect them to enforce the mandate, either. Many businesses are still recovering from the impacts of the pandemic and the mask mandate seems to have added just one more layer of difficulty to that recovery.”
As neighboring towns such as Westfield do not require masks, Reichelt said some West Springfield residents have been doing their shopping out of town. In his letter, he included a COVID-19 dashboard report from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. This provided a 14-day average daily incidence rate of COVID-19 in both communities over the past four weeks. At the time, the average in West Springfield was 3.53, whereas Westfield’s average was 2.67.
Galloway said despite welcoming 1.5 million attendees to the Big E this year, only 100 West Springfield residents tested positive for COVID-19. She added that some of those people informed her that they were experiencing symptoms before attending the fair, whereas others did not experience symptoms until after. She said it’s difficult to pinpoint exactly where the virus was contracted.
Although there are some people who don’t believe in masks and never will, Galloway said, “The board still recommends masks. They do work and prevent the spread.”
The decision to suspend the mask regulation was voted on and approved unanimously by the three-member board.
Although the regulation is suspended, Galloway said the board will revisit this policy if case rates or positive test rates, as measured by the state’s Department of Public Health, were to increase.
“If we don’t end up with a surge, [the regulation] will stay suspended,” said Galloway. “It comes down to the people.”
Galloway emphasized that while the local regulation is lifted, following the federal guidelines is still a good idea. She said unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks indoors, and some locations, such as doctors’ offices and public transportation, require mask wearing from all people, regardless of vaccination status.
The West Springfield School Department sent a message to all parents on Oct. 21 reminding them that a mask mandate from the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education remains in effect for all school buildings. All students, staff and visitors at West Springfield schools, even those who are vaccinated, must continue to wear masks.
As the holidays are approaching, Galloway encouraged folks to take proper safety measures. This includes meeting outside when the weather is nice, along with keeping windows open for air filtration.
In addition, with the flu season starting, Galloway encourages people to get vaccinated for influenza. Similarly, for those who have not yet obtained the COVID-19 vaccine, she recommends doing so.
Galloway said the flu and COVID-19 vaccines can be found at any pharmacy. The flu shot can also be found at doctors’ offices.
“As [we] go along with the COVID-19 vaccine for ages 5-11 and boosters for the Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccine, there is more information to come,” concluded Galloway.
For additional information on the COVID-19 or flu vaccines, visit www.cdc.gov.