The government has been careful to use the term “face covering” instead of “face mask” – with surgical masks stockpiled for medical purposes. People are encouraged to wear masks when they are within six feet of people in other households. Employers should encourage workers to wear masks and face coverings. For other indoor spaces, employers and businesses should consider asking their employees, customers or visitors to wear a face covering. Businesses refuse entry or service to people who do not wear face coverings, unless an exception applies. Companies may implement stricter protocols or requirements regarding face coverings and face shields. If a restaurant employee is diagnosed with COVID-19, does the restaurant have to close completely (and all employees with close contact self-isolate for 2 weeks)? Additional employer requirements apply if the state health officer designates an airborne infectious disease as a highly contagious communicable disease that poses a serious risk to the public under the NY HERO Act. Note: The state health commissioner made this designation for COVID-19 on 9.6.2021 and it has been extended until 15.12.21. Employers must require employees to wear appropriate face coverings when physical distancing cannot be maintained and in accordance with applicable state Department of Health or CDC guidelines, and must provide free face coverings to employees. The nationwide mask requirement was lifted on 1/18/21, but masks are still recommended according to CDC guidelines. If your CDC COVID-19 community level is medium or low, the decision to wear a mask should be based on the following considerations: All people over the age of 5 must wear a face covering in indoor public spaces.
Masks are not required if you work at an office or workplace and are not actively interacting with other employees, customers or visitors, as long as the person`s office or workplace is not in a common or shared area and physical distance of at least six feet is maintained. Note: Facilities such as hospitals and long-term care facilities have their own mask recommendations and requirements. The CDC`s new COVID-19 community level recommendations do not apply to health care. The CDC is reviewing recommendations for homeless shelters and correctional facilities to determine how current precautions can be aligned with CDC COVID-19 community levels. Follow the recommendations or masking requirements for the setting you are in. Employers must require an employee who cannot wear a mask due to the applicability of an exemption to wear a face shield. The employer may conclude that the use of face shields without face masks is not appropriate in some environments due to other infection control concerns. Face coverings are also not mandatory on premises or parts of premises where the main activity is eating, drinking, playing sports or dancing. This may include venues used for wedding receptions or certain musical events, as well as restaurants, pubs, bars and nightclubs. This is because it is not practical for people to wear a face covering when eating or drinking, and it is not recommended to wear a face covering during strenuous activities, including sports and dancing.
Employers must make available to workers who are not fully vaccinated with NIOSH-certified respirators when working indoors or in a vehicle with others. Employers must also provide masks to vaccinated individuals upon request. People starting with a nursery are strongly advised to wear a face covering when visiting a store or indoor space accessible to the public, as per CDC guidelines and recommendations. People must wear masks on public transportation, health care facilities and some other gatherings. If you are in an area where the CDC-COVID-19 community level is high, wear a mask in indoor public spaces, including K-12 schools and other indoor spaces, regardless of your vaccination status, risk factors for severe illness, or previous COVID-19 infection. If a food service employee sees a doctor, will a communicable disease nurse contact the manager/supervisor? What is the restaurant waiting for next? All people must wear a mask in indoor public spaces. Businesses can set stricter rules, including mandatory masks outdoors and proof of vaccination, to enter the facility. Companies can exclude individuals who do not comply with district health orders and take appropriate employment action against employees who put themselves or others at risk due to non-compliance. Police and police support officers can enforce the law if members of the public fail to comply with the law without reasonable excuse. Transport operators can refuse access to their public transport or order someone to wear a face covering or leave a service unless they are wearing one without a legitimate reason. Local authorities can also enforce their enforcement powers against businesses if they fail to install proper signage or violate the prohibition on preventing someone from wearing a face covering. Anyone 5 years of age or older is strongly advised to wear a face covering indoors or in an enclosed space, except in a private apartment, and other people who are not members of the person`s household or housing unit are present in the same room or confined space.
A face shield is not permitted as a substitute for a mask unless the person is performing work where wearing a face covering would pose a risk, as outlined in government safety directives, or is engaging in activities where federal or state laws or regulations prohibit the wearing of a face covering. The national obligation to wear a mask was lifted as of 10.04.21. Private companies are allowed to require masks on their premises, and masks are still required for gatherings of more than 50 people. Staff at these establishments, with the exception of certain transportation workers (see “Face coverings in the workplace” below), and persons working on premises providing legal or financial services, must wear a face covering if they are in a publicly accessible area and are likely to come into close contact with members of the public. for example in a workshop. Employees can also wear a face covering when working in environments where face coverings are not mandatory, and businesses are encouraged to help them do so. All mask and physical distancing rules will be lifted. Since 25.05.21, there is no longer a mandatory mask outside. With effect from 1. As of July 2022, the Ministry of Health recommends that people wear a mask or face covering indoors (not at home) if your immune system is weakened, or if you are at increased risk of serious illness due to your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system. has an increased risk of serious illness. Face coverings are only required by law within the parameters listed in the “When to wear a face covering” section above.
Establishments exempted from wearing a face covering because it would not be practical include: The national mask requirement was lifted on 02.06.21. Local governments and businesses can choose to continue to require masks. People who cannot wear, wear or remove a face covering due to a physical or mental illness, impairment or disability Employees are encouraged to wear a face covering at work. The public is encouraged to wear a face covering in public places. (1) Wearing a mask is mandatory for all persons, regardless of vaccination status, within a capacity of 250 or more, including retailers, restaurants, meeting places and entertainment venues; For cities and counties that already had mask requirements, regardless of vaccination status, these local health orders will continue to apply in indoor public spaces prior to December 13, 2021. Business or service owners, operators and managers may, at their discretion, continue to require that individuals entering or staying at their site wear a face covering or provide proof of full vaccination. Although the law no longer requires it, the CDC still recommends wearing a mask indoors on public transportation (such as planes, trains, buses, ferries) and transportation hubs (such as airports, train stations, and seaports). For more information, see Wearing a mask in the Travel & Public Transport settings. All people, regardless of vaccination status, are strongly advised to wear a mask when outside their home.
Learn more about the COVID-19 mask requirement in Massachusetts. Asymptomatic people can do without face masks in most indoor and outdoor spaces, alongside fully vaccinated people. Masks are always recommended in high-risk places, such as crowded indoor spaces. Companies may require the use of masks. All persons over the age of two who are able to medically tolerate a face covering or mask must wear an appropriate face covering or mask in an indoor public place, regardless of vaccination status. “Public interior” means any interior that is not a private dwelling, including offices. This requirement does not apply to indoor public spaces for which proof of vaccination is required as a condition of access. A company cannot “mix” and must choose to implement a full vaccination requirement or mask requirement that applies to both customers and employees, and then must be followed throughout the facility at any time of the day.