Swampscott Businesses Can Go Mask-Optional On Presidents Day

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — The Swampscott Board of Health joined Salem in becoming the latest two North Shore communities to rescind mask orders for indoor public spaces Tuesday night.

While Salem dropped both its mask mandate and proof-of-vaccination mandate to enter certain businesses effective immediately, Swampscott made its decision effective Feb. 20 at 11:59 p.m. to allow residents and businesses proper notification of the most recent change.

The Board vote was unanimous following about 45 minutes of discussion on the mandate reimposed amid the omicrom surge in December.

"i just feel right now that we have to take a different perspective," Board of Health member Emily Cilley said. "And COVID is not the only dangerous thing that we have right now. The mental health of our community is suffering and I'm so ready to have some normalcy. I think that a lot of the community is ready to have some normalcy.

"Right now, when (virus cases are) dropping. And we don't have another variant that could jump back at us, I think we need to do it now. If it changes again, because something else happens, we can reconsider. But I'm ready to rescind the mandate."

Board of Health member Peter Sheckman initially said he was in favor of a more cautious approach, but went along with the unanimous vote. While Cilley hoped for ending the mandate sooner than Presidents Day, the start of February school vacation was the consensus of the Board.

The Board's townwide decision on masks does not effect Swampscott Public Schools, which fall under the direction of the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Swampscott School Committee.

The Beverly Board of Health, last Monday, voted unanimously to lift that city's mask order four weeks after implementing it, while Boards of Health in Danvers and Peabody stated at their last meetings that they intend to review their orders in the coming weeks.

"All in all I would imagine most of the (North Shore) communities will rescind by Presidents Day," said Swampscott Health Director Jeff Vaughan.

Residents will still be encouraged to wear masks in indoor public spaces if they feel more comfortable doing so, while businesses can enact their own specific mask-entry orders if they wish.

(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.)