Masks Optional In Marlborough Schools On Thursday

MARLBOROUGH, MA — Marlborough Public Schools this week became the latest school district in Massachusetts to end pandemic masking rules. The Marlborough School Committee approved the mask-optional policy change at a meeting Tuesday night.

Starting Thursday, Marlborough students and school staff can go mask free if they choose. Masks will only be required in school areas where medical activities happen, like nurses offices — that's due to a state-level mandate for health facilities that's still in place. Students and staff who return to classrooms five days after a COVID-19 exposure will have to wear masks until 10 days post-exposure.

The state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education allowed districts in Massachusetts to start going mask-optional on Feb. 28 for the first time since students returned to buildings in the 2020-21 school year.

Related: Marlborough Ends Mask Mandate After 3 Weeks

The change follows the worst surge of the coronavirus pandemic due to the omicron variant. Marlborough's mask-optional policy will take effect two years to the day that Gov. Charlie Baker declared a state of emergency over coronavirus.

COVID-19 cases have dropped statewide and in Marlborough over the past few weeks.

As of Tuesday, Marlborough was adding about 2.4 new coronavirus cases per day over a one-week period. That's down from about 13 cases per day over a one-week period on Feb. 7, and 181.1 cases per day on Jan. 7 during the omicron peak.