New Mask, Vaccine Mandates In Worcester As COVID-19 Surges

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester is implementing several new measures to combat rising coronavirus rates as the city enters a third wave of the pandemic driven by the delta variant, officials said at a Friday morning news conference.

Starting Monday, Worcester will require masks to be worn in indoor private spaces — a requirement that went away statewide in May before delta hit the state. All Worcester municipal workers will be required to get vaccinated by Nov. 1. Workers will be able to choose weekly testing as an alternative.

Worcester has added 501 new cases over the past week, City Manager Edward Augustus Jr. said. Last week, the city had its first triple-digit day adding 103 cases. On Wednesday, Worcester added 152 new cases.

"The delta variant is the dominant strain and it is striking at us with a vengeance," Augustus said.

Officials also placed some blame for the rise in cases squarely on people refusing to get vaccines.

"We are now firmly in the third wave of COVID-19," Mayor Joseph Petty said. "We are all paying for the decisions of the unvaccinated."

Worcester Medical Director Dr. Michael Hirsh said the city is in "early crisis mode" over rising cases. But the city is not at the point of widespread lockdowns or distancing guidelines yet. Hirsh's emergency mask order — as well as a requirement for employees to report positive cases — will go before the Board of Health at a meeting set for late September.

Related: Worcester Offers Shots For Sneakers In Youth Vaccine Push

The rise in cases is also stressing local hospitals. UMass Memorial raised its alert level this week due to the surge of patients seeking treatment for COVID-19. UMass CEO Dr. Eric Dickson said the ongoing nurses strike at St. Vincent Hospital has sapped another 180 beds from the local system — and Dickson called on St. Vincent executives and the Massachusetts Nurses Union to resolve the strike.

Dickson said there were seven COVID-19 patients at the end of June across the region. Today, there are 130. There are about 70 non-coronavirus patients waiting for hospital beds in the area, he said.

Hirsh made a stark comparison during the conference, highlighting that more than 3,000 people across the U.S. have died due to the virus each day recently — many more than the total killed on Sept. 11, whose 20th anniversary passed on Saturday.

"Our purpose needs to be that we kill this virus and move on so we can be ourselves again," Hirsh said. "Every single needle in an arm is a way of beating this back."