Pressley calls on Massachusetts governor to reinstate mask mandate

Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) on Tuesday urged Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) to reinstate indoor mask mandates as new COVID-19 cases surge in the state.

As of this week, Massachusetts is set to surpass 1 million coronavirus cases and 20,000 related deaths.

In her letter to Baker, Pressley commended his administration’s recent decision to disburse over 2 million at-home COVID-19 tests, but said “aggressive” actions were needed in order to keep Bay Stater residents healthy.

“The Commonwealth can and must do more to ensure our most vulnerable communities are protected,” said Pressley, writing that communities in her district — Massachusetts’s 7th congressional district — are being “disproportionately impacted” by the pandemic.

Pressley said she supported a “Massachusetts COVID-19 Action Plan” that lawmakers in the state’s legislature proposed. The action plan would implement a statewide indoor mask mandate, provide funding for mobile vaccination clinics in disproportionately affected communities, enact policies to prevent evictions that could lead to crowded homes as well require universal masking in schools.

The proposed universal school mask mandate is especially needed, Pressley wrote, because the current mask mandate is set to expire January when students and teachers begin returning to schools after winter break. She also suggested that Baker’s administration provide flexibility for schools to reimplement remote learning.

“In this moment, our shared constituents deserve bold leadership and evidence-based policies that will mitigate COVID-19 transmission and save lives,” Pressley wrote. “I strongly urge you to heed the calls of the public health experts and the hundreds of community-based organizations that have informed the COVID-19 Action Plan and enact a statewide plan that will keep our families and communities safe.”

On Tuesday, Baker released an updated mask advisory recommending, but not requiring, that all people wear masks while inside public spaces regardless of their vaccination status.

Baker also announced he was activating 500 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to support ambulances and hospitals in the state. His administration released new guidance for hospitals to postpone elective invasive procedures beginning on Dec. 27.

According to the Springfield News-Leader’s COVID-19 vaccine tracker, just over 90 percent of Massachusetts’s total population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, and nearly 75 percent are fully vaccinated. The most recent data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health shows the state confirmed over 947,000 COVID-19 cases and more than 19,000 deaths.

The Hill has reached out to Baker’s office for comment. 

Updated 4:15 p.m.