Fines For No Masks, Violating Traveler Quarantine Proposed

Newly filed legislation would impose monetary penalties on almost anyone who fails to wear a face covering in public and on any traveler who does not self-quarantine for two weeks upon arrival to Massachusetts from a COVID hotspot.

The bill (HD 5181), filed by three Democrats - Reps. Jon Santiago and Mindy Domb and Sen. Harriette Chandler - aims to stave off a second surge. Several of its provisions are already required through executive orders Gov. Charlie Baker issued, but the legislation would enshrine them in law.

"With no vaccine or significant preventative medicine to protect us against COVID-19 infection, and with cases surging across the country, we must ensure that proven public health policy interventions are written into law in Massachusetts," Chandler said in a statement Tuesday.

"A deadly resurgence of COVID-19 is preventable. We have proven practices to curb the spread of viral infection: wearing face masks, ensuring widely available testing, finalizing formal workplace safety standards, and quarantining tourists coming from hotbed states. But they only work if we all participate."

Those who violate the face covering provision under the bill could be fined up to $100 for a second or subsequent offense, while those who violate the mandatory self-quarantine after travel could be fined up to $1,000. The bill also calls for prioritizing testing for high-risk populations and for a stronger enforcement mechanism against workplace safety violations.