Stoneham Will Lift Mask Mandate When Rest Of MA Does

STONEHAM, MA — The town won't be imposing mask-wearing regulations after the state lifts the vast majority of its mask mandate next week, but business owners will be free to make their own decisions.

Stoneham will join the rest of Massachusetts on May 29 in dropping the requirement that people wear masks in most settings, save for some like schools, hospitals and nursing homes.

Stoneham residents will still be asked to wear masks when entering places like Town Hall, the library and the senior center until June 15. Health Agent Erin Hull said the town "wants all employees to be comfortable."

Other than that, Stoneham will be in step with the rest of the state. Hull said there's no reason not to be since there's no higher risk for people living here than anywhere else.

Hull also said she's been reaching out to businesses, pools, camps and other businesses to answer questions.

Last week's public health report had Stoneham with a 1.9 percent positivity rate and 14.8 average daily incidence rate per 100,000 over the past two weeks. There have been 2,484 confirmed cases here since the start of the pandemic.

Mike Carraggi can be reached at mike.carraggi@patch.com. Follow him on Twitter @PatchCarraggi. Subscribe to Stoneham Patch for free local news and alerts and like us on Facebook.