Select Board members divided on BOH mask mandate

Members of the Canton Select Board were sharply divided on the Board of Health’s recent decision to adopt a town-wide indoor mask mandate that went into effect on Wednesday, September 1.

However, in a 3-2 vote, the board voted not to send a letter to the BOH asking them to reconsider or at least delay the decision until a future date.

The mandate, which was unanimously approved by the BOH on Monday, August 30, requires all individuals ages 2 and older to wear a face covering in all indoor public spaces, houses of worship, and all private spaces open to the public. (Click here for more info.)

Leading the charge to ask the BOH to reconsider its decision was Select Board member Tom Theodore, who felt that the mandate was hastily adopted and would be disruptive to businesses. Select Board member John Connolly also wanted the BOH to reconsider, while Select Board Chair Mike Loughran and members Lisa Lopez and Chris Connolly voted in opposition to the idea.

Loughran said that while he supports Theodore’s reasoning, he felt that unless the board voted unanimously, it would not be a good idea to send a letter which did not present a “united front.”

Lopez defended the authority of the BOH to issue the mandate and the scientific reasoning behind the decision. She said the BOH acted in the “best interests of everyone,” adding that Canton is on a list as a “high transmission community.”

Following the Select Board vote, both Theodore and Lopez said the public and members of the business community should attend the next BOH meeting on Thursday, September 9, at 6 p.m. at the Pequitside Tavern, when the board plans to discuss enforcement of the mask mandate.

Theodore said the BOH decision will have a significant impact on all businesses, particularly food service establishments and those that deal with the public. He said restaurant owners, who saw a “light at the end of the tunnel,” are now being dealt another blow. He also argued that if the pandemic was so serious, Massachusetts would have issues a state mandate rather than leave it up to each community.

John Connolly said the only other adjoining community that has adopted an indoor mask mandate is Sharon and added that 68 percent of Canton residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 …

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Posted by Mike Berger on Sep 3 2021. Filed under News, Town Government. Both comments and pings are currently closed.