The Sudbury Board of Health voted to remove the Mask Mandate as of today, Monday, March 7 and to change the guideline to a Mask Advisory.
Please review the wording of the Sudbury Mask Advisory:
All individuals, regardless of vaccination status are advised to:
- Wear a face covering or mask that covers your nose and mouth.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water. Use hand sanitizer if soap and water aren’t available.
- Get tested if you have been exposed to or have symptoms associated with COVID-19.
According to the CDC, the COVID-19 infection risk is now considered low in Massachusetts and New England. Per the Mask Advisory, wearing a mask is still advised to minimize the risk of COVID-19 while visiting the Sudbury Senior Center, however, this is at the discretion of the visitor. The Senior Center will respect the wishes of our visitors to wear or not wear a mask. We will continue to provide for social distancing and extra ventilation, as well as cleaning. In addition, we will maintain close contact with the Health Department to assess for any changes in risk.
It is important to acknowledge that many people will continue wearing masks for their own or family members safety. On the other hand, others will choose not to wear a mask, for their own reasons. We ask that all who visit the Senior Center, please show respect and courtesy to all who work and visit the Senior Center whether wearing a mask or not, and whether they would like to keep a safe distance or not.
One caveat to the mask advisory: for some volunteer-provided services, mask wearing will continue to be required. In addition, the Federal Transportation Administration continues to require a mask for all public transportation staff and passengers while in transit.
As we tentatively begin to transition to a less COVID inflicted world, at least for New England, and at least for now, let’s be cautious and kind. We will be discussing the idea of bringing back more classes to in-person attendance over the next couple of weeks and hope to transition some by the beginning of April. A few classes will continue completely virtual, and a small number may be hybrid. The Senior Center staff and I will be examining which classes can practically be offered in a hybrid fashion. In some respects, we are finding that hybrid is not as effective as we hoped it would be. On the other hand, we would like to be as inclusive as possible, and to continue with some programming for people who are housebound and unable to attend programs in-person.
Feel free to contact me with questions or concerns, I hope to see you soon!