Salem Mask, Vaccination Orders Back On Board Of Health Agenda

SALEM, MA — The Salem Board of Health will take a second look at the city's recently imposed mask order for indoor public spaces and proof-0f-vaccination order for many businesses and entertainment venues at its next meeting on Tuesday.

The posted agenda for Tuesday night's meeting includes both a "discussion and vote to either maintain or rescind the current proof of vaccination requirement to enter certain businesses" and a "discussion and vote to either maintain or rescind the current indoor mask mandate."

Salem was one of several North Shore cities and towns to reimpose a mask order amid the omicron case spike late in December. That same night, the Board of Health also voted to join Boston as the only two cities in the state to impose a proof-of-vaccination order to enter bars, restaurants, gyms, museums, theaters and other entertainment venues.

The vaccination order went into effect on Jan. 15.

Beverly's Board of Health voted unanimously on Monday to drop its mask order enacted just four weeks ago, while Boards of Health in Danvers and Peabody said they plan to review their mask mandates in the coming weeks as well.

Earlier this week, Salem Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Rinus Oosthoek led the Chamber's weekly newsletter with a brief editorial "strongly urging" the Board of Health re rescind the vaccination order in Salem "based on the current data and trends in the number of cases, the number of direct COVID-related hospitalizations as well as the fact that Salem has become even more of an island on the North Shore in terms of COVID measures."

Mayor Kim Driscoll publicly supported the vaccination-proof order in December as the latest in what has been the city's aggressive approach to coronavirus mitigation measures over the past two years.

Salem recently offered a $500 bonus to new and existing staff members of affected businesses as an incentive program during the first weeks of the vaccination order.

Coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have steadily declined on the North Shore and across the state in recent weeks from a high of more than 3,000 hospitalizations and a positive test rate of 23.5 percent statewide in early January to 1,661 hospitalizations and a positive test rate of 5.83 percent as of Thursday, according to the state Department of Public Health.

(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.)