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Date: 2/16/2022
SPRINGFIELD – With conditions surrounding the omicron COVID-19 surge improving, Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno expressed that the city’s mask mandate is likely to conclude by its March 1 deadline.
Sarno and Health and Human Services Commissioner Helen Caulton-Harris implemented the mandate on Jan. 3 after dealing with a significant rise in cases stemming from the more-contagious omicron variant.
“We are now in a crisis mode, but one that we can control,” said Sarno during his Jan. 3 address. During the omicron surge, Springfield recorded new records in daily and weekly cases, with Caulton-Harris revealing that January featured 9,498 cases during the Feb. 9 COVID-19 Response Subcommittee meeting. The January figure nearly doubled the 5,359 positive tests incurred during December.
Local medical centers Baystate and Mercy also experienced a significant increase in activity, according to Caulton-Harris. Sarno stressed the importance of acting immediately to curb the variant’s impacts, establishing a 60-day mandate that would be reassessed on March 1.
“It’s done to preserve and protect our city and the workforce, so we can continue to provide the vital services to our residents and our business community…This is about public health, plain and simple,” said Sarno in his Jan. 3 address.
Since establishing the mandate, Springfield experienced a gradual decline in positive cases. Caulton-Harris shared that the week of Jan. 23 featured 1,440 cases before dropping to 707 cases on the week of Jan. 30.
“We have cut the number of cases in half…It’s something we can certainly celebrate in terms of the numbers,” said Caulton-Harris during the Feb. 8 meeting.
With cases improving, Sarno issued a statement on Feb. 10 hinting at the likelihood of the mask mandate concluding. “A big thank you goes out to all our residents and business community for their continued patience, understanding and cooperation as we move to defeat this COVID-19 pandemic challenge. If these positive trends continue, the likelihood is that our city’s mask mandate will be lifted by Feb. 28,” said Sarno in his statement.
The mayor expressed that there is a “light at the end of this tunnel,” regarding the omicron variant, with his focus now centered on repairing schools and the economy amidst COVID-19’s impacts. “We need to continue the progress in balancing public health, while moving our economy and schools forward,” said Sarno.
Still, Sarno and Caulton-Harris continue to stress the importance of vaccinations for residents. The health director noted that Springfield’s vaccination rate is improving at 62.1 percent as of Feb. 8, but shared that the city is still lagging behind Massachusetts’ 78.5 percent vacation rate.
“We are not there yet in terms of our vaccination rates are concerned,” said Caulton-Harris, who shared that the lowest vaccination rates remain within the younger population. Readers can find updated COVID-19 information at https://www.springfield-ma.gov/cos/covid/health-and-human-service-covid-19-coronavirus-statistical-information.