Dedham Coronavirus: Face Masks Required For Essential Workers

DEDHAM, MA — The Dedham Board of Health issued an emergency order on Thursday, requiring all employees of essential businesses, including delivery personnel, to wear cloth face masks while working.

Cloth face masks must be worn as a precaution in situations where employees are interacting with the public and/or where social distancing is hard to maintain in order to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

The cloth face coverings do not have to be surgical masks or N-95 respirators.

Essential businesses are also encouraged to post signs at the front of their stores strongly encouraging customers to wear cloth masks while in their buildings.

"This order was issued out of an abundance of caution to ensure the safety of both our essential workers and members of the community," said BOH Chair Leanne Jasset. "Residents are reminded to stay at home unless absolutely necessary and to practice social distancing should you need to leave your home for any reason. These steps can go a long way towards flattening the curve, especially as the spread of the virus reaches its peak."

Current Cases

As of Wednesday, there are 134 confirmed cases of the virus in Dedham.

All people who tested positive are in isolation per Massachusetts Department of Public Health orders. Close contacts, defined as someone who has spent more than 15 minutes within six feet of a positive case, have been identified, contacted by health officials, and are adhering to DPH orders for quarantine. Those who are quarantined will be monitored by Dedham health officials on a daily basis to limit the risk of spread.