Westport Board of Health rescinds town-wide face-covering mandate, institutes advisory

At their meeting on February 07, 2022, The Westport Board of Health rescinded the town-wide face-covering mandate and replaced it with the following:

“Effective December 21, 2021: In response to the spread of the Delta variant and the emerging Omicron variant, the Department of Public Health now advises that all residents, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask or face covering when indoors (and not in your own home). The DPH particularly urges this recommendation if you have a weakened immune system, or if you are at increased risk for severe disease because of your age or an underlying medical condition, or if someone in your household has a weakened immune system, is at increased risk for severe disease, or is unvaccinated.”

Last month, due to the “very substantial increase” of infections from the COVID-19 Delta variant and the rapidly spreading Omicron variant, the Westport Board of Health had issued an order for masks to be worn in all indoor public settings for all individuals aged two years and above except where an individual was unable to wear a face covering due to a medical condition or disability.