Health & Fitness
Wayland Drops Mask Mandate For Town Buildings
The more than 6-month-old policy ended this week with officials citing declining case numbers.
WAYLAND, MA — A mask mandate for Wayland municipal buildings ended Thursday after nearly 6 months in effect. Masks are now optional for anyone entering buildings like town hall or the police station.
Wayland officials said the mandate ended due to a decline in local COVID-19 cases since March. On Thursday, the state reported fewer than 1,000 average daily confirmed COVID-19 cases over the last week for the first time since August — which is also when Wayland's municipal mask mandate went into effect.
Wayland has added about 46 new COVID-19 cases over the past two weeks, according to state data. The town is also one of the most-vaccinated in the state: about 93 percent of residents have two vaccine doses, and about 62 percent have booster shots.
Wayland did not institute a general mask mandate for public spaces like businesses and houses of worship. Wayland Public Schools also recently approved a move to a mask-optional policy beginning March 7.
