West Hartford Officials Urging Residents To Wear Masks

WEST HARTFORD, CT — West Hartford officials are asking residents to mask up amid the latest coronavirus scare.

"With community transmission of COVID-19 rapidly increasing as a result of the Delta variant, the town of West Hartford is calling on all residents to once again mask up when indoors with other persons who are not part of their household," Friday's notice to the community said.

Although there is no formal town mask mandate at this time, town officials are now "strongly urging" local businesses to require masks for both vaccinated and unvaccinated persons at all indoor establishments.

"I am so grateful that our community has been willing to take needed precautions throughout the pandemic to protect their neighbors," West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said. "I know how frustrating it is for many people to think about masking up again, but the Delta variant is highly contagious and we are very concerned about the trends we are seeing in community spread."

Executive Order No. 13A issued by Gov. Ned Lamont on August 5, 2021, grants town managers the authority to impose local mask mandates under the civil preparedness and emergency management statutes. Town Manager Matt Hart said that, for now, the town will seek voluntary compliance with universal masking.

"West Hartford has one of the best vaccination rates in the state, and our businesses and residents have consistently stepped up when asked," Hart said. "We are currently requiring universal masking in Town owned facilities, and we are simply asking private businesses to follow our example."

He noted, however, that a mandate may become necessary if conditions change.

"We are monitoring transmission rates carefully and will be watching to see how effective voluntary compliance is," Hart said. "We are prepared to issue a mandate if needed."

West Hartford businesses should require all employees and customers to wear masks indoors, regardless of vaccination status, town officials said. Likewise, individual residents should wear masks any time they are indoors with persons who are not part of their household, they added.

Aimee Krauss, Executive Director of the West Hartford Health-Bloomfield District, said getting vaccinated remains the best defense against the virus, including the Delta variant.

"Breakthrough cases remain rare, and vaccinated persons who do become infected typically have less serious disease and are less likely to require hospitalization," Krauss said. "It’s never too late to get vaccinated, and it is now as easy as walking into our Health District, Walmart, CVS, Walgreens, and many other locations that are offering the vaccine without an appointment."