Mask Mandate Back For Natick Municipal Buildings

NATICK, MA — Natick this week joined a growing group of local towns and cities reinstating mask mandates for municipal buildings as the coronavirus delta variant continues to spread across the state.

Natick's mandate took effect Monday and includes buildings like the senior center, both public libraries, Town Hall, police and fire buildings and Natick Public Schools buildings.

Framingham, Wayland, Brookline, Worcester and others have made similar moves by requiring masks in municipal buildings. A select group of communities, including Provincetown and Northampton, are requiring masks in all indoor public spaces, including private businesses. Like Natick, Framingham Public Schools will require masks when school begins in September.

Natick's mandate also came on the same day Gov. Charlie Baker said he would not reinstate a statewide mask order. His original order, which went into effect in spring 2020, lapsed at the end of May as coronavirus cases were headed downward.

But in recent weeks, the highly contagious delta variant has driven cases back to levels not seen since April. As of Monday, every county in Massachusetts was experiencing either "substantial" or "high" coronavirus transmission rates, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention metric.