City of Cambridge to Require Masks for all Employees and Visitors in Municipal Buildings

The City of Cambridge announced that, after consultation with the Cambridge Commissioner of Public Health and the Cambridge Public Health Department, masks will be required in all City buildings to protect the health and well-being of employees and visitors. This new policy goes into effect on Monday, August 23, 2021.

“Regardless of vaccination status, the City will require all employees and members of the public to wear masks inside City buildings,” said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. "As we have done throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, we will continue to deploy data-informed and science-driven mitigation strategies to slow the spread of the virus and protect the health and well-being of our employees and the public. Requiring masks in City buildings will help our employees and visitors to feel safe and reduce the risk of transmitting the highly infectious Delta variant.”

Children 2 years of age and younger shall be exempted from this mask requirement, and persons for whom a mask creates a health risk shall also be exempted from this mask requirement. Masks will be available in all City buildings.

In response to the spread of the COVID-19 Delta variant, including among vaccinated individuals, the federal Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently updated its mask guidance. The CDC recommends that even fully vaccinated persons wear a mask when indoors, if other risk factors are present. The Delta variant is more highly transmissible than other variants, calling for greater precautions.

“We know that the best way to protect ourselves and those around us from COVID-19 and serious illness is to get a vaccine. Widespread vaccination is the most crucial pathway to ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Everyone age 12 and older is eligible to get a free COVID-19 vaccine,” said Susan D. Breen, MS, RN, Interim Chief Public Health Officer. “The Cambridge Public Health Department recommends that residents—vaccinated and not—wear a mask when indoors outside the home.”

All residents are encouraged to get vaccinated and are reminded that the City of Cambridge provides free COVID-19 testing three days a week. Information about the City’s testing program is available at www.cambridgema.gov/testing. There are also several other ways to get tested. To find other testing options, visit www.mass.gov/covid-19-testing. This site lets individuals search for testing by zip code. The site also provides information about home COVID-19 tests that can be ordered online.

For more information and regular COVID-19 updates, visit www.cambridgema.gov/covid19 to sign up for daily City of Cambridge email updates.