MONTAGUE — The Selectboard voted unanimously on Monday to rescind the town-wide mask mandate that was issued on Sept. 27 and instead issue a “mask advisory,” effective immediately.
During a joint meeting with the Board of Health, members from both boards argued that Montague’s “gray” COVID-19 risk status (which indicates limited active concern) as a result of several weeks of low case counts warranted relaxing restrictions.
The new mask advisory merely recommends that residents wear face coverings in town buildings and other publicly accessible indoor spaces. Non-vaccinated individuals, however, are still required to wear face coverings in town buildings and are requested to wear them in publicly accessible buildings.
Discussions revisiting mask regulations began following a review of Montague’s COVID-19 positivity rates. Measured in two-week periods, the latest count recorded eight new positive cases between Oct. 17 and Oct. 30. Prior to last week’s count, Montague had three consecutive weeks where two-week case counts remained at 11 positive cases.
“It’s a sticky widget no matter which way you look at it, but I’m definitely in favor of suggesting people wear masks at this point rather than requiring it,” Board of Health member and former Selectboard member Mike Nelson said after making a motion to transition to a mask advisory.
The three-member Board of Health’s sole objecting member, Melanie Zamojski, reasoned that the town should wait until holiday gatherings are over to relax regulations.
“I would really like us to get through Thanksgiving and see if our numbers stay low enough,” Zamojski said. “I don’t think it would behoove us to rescind the mask mandate now and only have to put it back before Christmas. I’d rather just see us get rid of it all at one time.”
Selectboard Clerk Matthew Lord said he sympathized with Zamojski’s sentiment, but chose to draw the line.
“I don’t think we can have a mask mandate indefinitely and the trend right now is in our favor, so I believe that if there is a time to lift one, it is now,” Lord said.
The Selectboard and Town Administrator Steve Ellis also responded to ongoing concerns over how extensively Montague has communicated with surrounding communities to inform their decision-making. Ellis argued that while crosstown consideration has played a part in influencing Montague, the decisions ultimately lie with Montague town officials.
“There have been conversations (with Greenfield) and both (Health Director) Daniel (Wasiuk) and I have reached out and have had conversations over time,” Ellis said. “The notion that we can make perfect, synchronized decisions would require a different process and it’s not one that either board has indicated an appetite to have.”
Notably, Library Director Caitlin Kelley and the Board of Library Trustees have chosen to maintain a mask mandate in Montague’s three libraries, citing the nature of in-person contact in the libraries and prevalence of at-risk individuals within their demographic as contributing factors in their decision-making process.
In a press release issued Tuesday morning, Ellis said “the Health Department and Selectboard Office will continue to monitor and report trends in cases on a weekly basis and be prepared to implement any measures as may be required in the future.”
Reach Julian Mendoza at 413-772-0261, ext. 261 or jmendoza@recorder.com.