Mask Or What? See How Rules Differ In Local Communities

WAYLAND, MA — On Monday night, the Wayland Board of Health approved a new mask advisory covering public spaces in town. At the same meeting, the board voted against enforcing a mask mandate.

Cities and towns across Massachusetts have already or will soon make similar decisions. Mask policies differ greatly from community to community, from clear mandates to more fungible advisories. State officials have largely stepped away from mask policy: the state Department of Public Health issued an advisory to wear masks on Dec. 21, but Gov. Charlie Baker has said he won't bring back the statewide mandate that expired in May.

One thing is clear: good masks do cut down on the amount of respiratory droplets individuals emit. Those are microscopic globs that we exhale that contain coronavirus (and many other virus types). The most recent guidance says that surgical masks and K95, K94 and N95 masks offer the best protection.

"If you are infected with the coronavirus and do not know it, a mask is very good at keeping your respiratory droplets and particles from infecting others," Johns Hopkins Health System epidemiologist Lisa Lockerd Maragakis said about masks. "If you haven’t yet received your COVID-19 vaccine, wearing a mask can also help prevent germs that come from another person’s respiratory droplets from getting into your nose and mouth."

Here's a rundown of mask policies across the region. Some local communities missing from this list may not have provided explicit mask guidance.

Mandates — Masks required in public spaces from municipal buildings to private businesses.

• Worcester
• Sudbury
• Concord
• Dover
• West Boylston
• Boston
• MWRTA buses
• MBTA (commuter rail, subway, buses)
• WRTA buses

Advisories — Local governments are only advising people to wear masks everywhere.

• Wayland
• Milford
• Westborough
• Millis
• Ashland

Municipal requirement — Masks required inside municipal buildings, including libraries, seniors centers and at public meetings.

• Framingham
• Holliston
• Auburn
• Maynard
• Northborough
• Southborough
• Natick
• Hudson
• Milford
• Bellingham
• Hopkinton
• Upton
• Wellesley
• Shrewsbury
• Clinton
• Berlin

Related: Nearly 1 In 5 MA COVID-19 Tests Positive In Latest 7-Day Average