City Of Nashua Re-Institutes Face Covering, Mask Mandate At City Hall On Wednesday

NASHUA, NH — Starting Wednesday, face coverings and masks will be required of every visitor and employee at Nashua city hall.

The reinstitution of the mask mandate was issued on Tuesday, due to an increase in coronavirus cases and continued substantial community transmission in the Gate City, according to Mayor Jim Donchess.

“As of Monday, Aug. 23, Nashua is experiencing a rate of 197.4 new cases per 100,000 residents over the past 14 days and a 7-day total test positivity rate of 6.3 percent,” Donchess said. “Reinstituting the wearing of masks inside Nashua City Hall is a critical step in keeping everyone safe and getting our city through this public health crisis.”

The city implemented its citywide mask mandate in May 2020. It ended in late May. In September 2020, Donchess and others caught coronavirus after a cluster surfaced inside city hall while the face-covering order was active.

Masks are required at the city’s public health office and in the public area of public works buildings. Face coverings are also required on all city buses, he said. Masks are also being required at the library, according to city officials. Signs will be posted in buildings as reminders.

There is not a citywide mask mandate at this time — although businesses and organizations can require them if they like.

The face coverings will be required regardless of vaccination status per new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Interim Public Health Recommendations which suggested wearing a mask in all public indoor settings.

Donchess said people who are not fully vaccinated, immunocompromised, or at increased risk for severe disease from COVID-19, should continue to wear a face mask when in public indoor locations at any level of community transmission. He added this also applied to residents who have someone in their household who is not fully vaccinated, immunocompromised, or at increased risk of severe disease.

More information can be found at the city’s COVID-19 website, linked here.

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