Massachusetts Recommending Some Fully Vaccinated People Wear Face Masks Indoors
BOSTON (CBS) -- The Department of Public Health is now recommending that some fully vaccinated people in Massachusetts wear face masks indoors. The updated advisory comes on the heels of new Centers For Disease Control Guidance that recommends face masks indoors for everyone in areas of substantial or high COVID transmission.
According to the CDC, Barnstable County and Nantucket are listed as high risk. Suffolk, Bristol, Plymouth and Hampden Counties are at subtantial risk.
The state said the new guidance is intended to "maximize protection of vulnerable individuals from the Delta variant."
DPH "recommends that a fully vaccinated person wear a mask or face covering when indoors (and not in your own home) if you have a weakened immune system, or if you are at increased risk for severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated."
The mask guidance does not apply to people who live with healthy children who are under 12 and not old enough to be vaccinated, Gov. Charlie Baker clarified at a youth vaccine event.
"This new guidance was developed to be as simple and as straightforward as possible, and we also tailored it to Massachusetts," he said. "We think the most important thing people can do to protect themselves and their families is to get vaccinated."
Everyone in Massachusetts regardless of vaccination status is still required to wear face masks in certain settings such as transportation and health care facilities.
The state on Friday also released new guidelines for face masks in schools this fall.
Click here for the full guidance from DPH.
