West Hartford Lightens Mask Mandate For Most Municipal Facilities

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The Town of West Hartford is lifting its "local universal" indoor mask requirement for all venues except educational facilities Wednesday with officials citing, "the steady decline in COVID-19 cases for the past four consecutive weeks."

The universal indoor masking requirement in public schools will remain in effect "pending further review by the school district," officials said.

"We do need to be realistic that we are not going to eliminate or reduce COVID to zero," Mayor Shari G. Cantor said. "We are comfortable that with the current and decreasing infection rates and with the Governor and neighboring communities lifting their mask mandates, a community mandate is no longer necessary as a mitigation tool. We encourage mask wearing and recognize that N-95 masks are highly effective at preventing transmission – they are widely available to anyone seeking additional personal protection and the Town will continue its distribution of free masks."

She added, "The best way to protect yourself, your loved ones and your community is to be fully vaccinated and, if appropriate, boosted."

The State Department of Public Health’s most recent report on Feb. indicated that the state’s positivity rate of transmission dropped dramatically to 4.7 percent.

West Hartford’s universal indoor mask requirement went into effect on Jan. 6. when West Hartford virus cases, as well as every county in Connecticut, were surging due to the highly infectious Omicron virus.

"The Omicron variant accounts for 99.9 percent of all COVID-19 cases in New England but we are seeing cases fall as fast as they were rising at the end of 2021," said Aimee Krauss, executive director of the West Hartford-Bloomfield Health District. "This is a very good sign."

As a whole, 85 percent of West Hartford residents age 5 and older are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, officials said.

"We have been carefully monitoring the transmission rates for West Hartford and our neighboring towns, and we feel we can safely lift the mask requirement at this time," Acting Town Manager Rick Ledwith said.

On Feb. 9, the Town of West Hartford will no longer require masks in municipal buildings with the exception of the public libraries, Veterans Memorial Skating Rink, Westmoor Park, Elmwood Community Center and Cornerstone Aquatics Center, which will follow West Hartford Public Schools protocols for serving school-age children, and both the Elmwood and Bishop’s Corner Senior Centers.

Krauss recommended that all unvaccinated residents continue to wear masks indoors in compliance with the statewide mask policy that is in effect until the governor’s executive orders expire on Feb. 28. She said all residents, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear masks in certain settings such as healthcare facilities, facilities housing vulnerable populations, public and private transit, correctional facilities, schools, and childcare facilities.

Individual businesses may choose to have their own policies that require customers to wear a mask in order to receive service.

"It is important to continue to follow CDC’s guidelines. If you feel sick, get tested and stay home," Krauss said.

Krauss emphasized that getting vaccinated remains the best defense against COVID-19.

"Vaccinated persons are less likely to experience severe effects of the virus nor require hospitalization if they contract COVID-19," Krauss said. "Vaccines are widely available at our Health District, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, urgent care centers, area hospitals, and many other locations."