Marblehead Reaffirms Mask Order In Meeting With Public Comment

MARBLEHEAD, MA — The Marblehead Board of Health reaffirmed its reinstated mask order for indoor public spaces Wednesday following 30 minutes of public comment that was a far more organized and courteous exchange of viewpoints than what occurred in an unruly meeting two days earlier.

With an inability to mute those in Monday night's virtual session — when public comment was not allowed — the Board of Health hastily voted in the mandate over the vocal objections of several people opposed to reimposing the order.

Board of Chair Todd Belf-Becker began Wednesday's meeting by admonishing those who were "disrespectful" two nights earlier, though he later allowed that Wednesday's meeting involved a much better show of courtesy.

"The Marblehead Board of Health has never seen such a disrespectful and aggressive display while conducting a meeting," Belf-Becker said of Monday's chaos. "It's OK to disagree. And respectful disagreement can lead to productive outcomes. But the lack of manners and decorum seen two nights ago is not what Marblehead citizens deserve. We are better than this.

"It is within the purview of the chair of any board in Marblehead to allow or not allow public comment. Monday's meeting was an emergency meeting, which was called to protect the public from the surging omicron variant. Our Board has the ability and obligation to do what we feel is best to protect our population."

The moderators did have the ability to mute participants on Wednesday with 20 people allowed to speak for up to two minutes during a time frame that spanned just over 30 minutes. Thirteen people who spoke opposed the mandate, while seven agreed with the Board's decision on Monday.

Kelly Lorenz, who owns the Form 01945 fitness studio on Besson Street, was one of the small business owners who spoke against reinstating the order.

"We're going on two years of these kinds of mandates," she said. "I understand the importance of being safe and I understand the importance of thinking about our community. But I also understand the freedom of choice for each business.

"It's nearly impossible to do the kind of exercise that we do in a heated space in a mask. These things were not told to us (ahead of Monday's vote). I read it in the Patch Monday night while I was in Ohio visiting family. We weren't set up for this. We weren't prepared for it. It's just excruciating because I've already received emails from clients asking to quit our gym because they can't exercise in a mask."

Board Member Helaine Hazlett said she was happy with the "strong recommendation" the Board passed on Dec. 14 but felt the mask order was necessary because she did not see enough compliance as she traveled around town in recent days.

The new order already went into effect on Tuesday with Wednesday's affirmation vote necessary in accordance with town bylaws.

The order applies to all those 2 years old and older in all indoor businesses and public spaces, including common areas of multi-unit residential areas. There are exceptions for when people are seated in food and drink service establishments and when they are actively eating and drinking at entertainment venues.

The order is set to last until March 8, but Board members said they will consider lifting it earlier if conditions allow.

Enforcement will start with a warning and could escalate to $300 per day, per incident.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)

More Patch Coverage: Marblehead Emergency Mask Order In Effect Tuesday