Public Health officials in the cities of Lynn, Melrose, Peabody, and Saugus have issued indoor mask mandates through the beginning of the new year.

In Peabody, Sharon Cameron, director of the Department of Health and Human Services, presented data that showed increasing cases in the city. The average number of new daily cases over the past 14 days in Peabody was 78 cases per 100,000 residents. The city has recorded 611 new cases and a 7.38-percent positivity rate. Cameron pointed out that Peabody’s positivity rate was higher than the state’s.

You can read more: https://www.itemlive.com/2021/12/22/peabody-requires-new-mask-protocols/

Additional coverage: https://patch.com/massachusetts/peabody/peabody-brings-back-indoor-mask-order-amid-coronavirus-spike

Melrose Patch: https://patch.com/massachusetts/melrose/melrose-mask-mandate-returns-heres-what-it-means

Saugus Advertiser: https://www.wickedlocal.com/story/saugus-advertiser/2022/01/04/saugus-board-health-issues-mask-mandate-public-indoor-places-businesses/9091122002/

In Lynn, Department of Public Health Director Michele Desmarais said in a statement: “Our positive cases in the last few months have steadily increased again, some days in triple digits, and although we have done a tremendous job with vaccinations which often tempers COVID symptoms, the virus is easily transmittable via respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes, so wearing a mask specifically indoors in group settings will go a long way in helping to stop the spread and protect the most vulnerable among us.”

In Melrose, the Board of Health voted to bring an indoor mask mandate back to Melrose for everyone ages 5 and older beginning on January 2.

Saugus will institute a mask mandate on January 6. Board of Health Chairman Bill Heffernan emphasized it was “pretty shocking” to hear of 545 confirmed COVID-19 cases in Saugus over the last week. “Obviously, this is very transmissible, hopefully going this route will help to slow this down,” Heffernan said. “It’s not to punish anyone, I hate wearing the masks, but if it will help put an end to this thing and get us back to normal sooner rather than later then I’m all for it.”

The YMCA of Metro North is committed to keeping our community safe and complying with all required public health mandates. Please wear a mask or face covering when in our Lynn, Melrose, Peabody, or Saugus facilities.

To learn more about the Ys efforts to stop the spread or to learn more about the COIVD-19 vaccine, go to: https://www.ymca.org/who-we-are/our-impact/covid-19-vaccines