STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
WITH THE COVID-19 pandemic’s two-year anniversary approaching, legislative leaders lifted the mask mandate and proof-of-vaccination-or-negative-test requirement for entry into the State House, starting on Monday.
House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka cited a “steady decline in COVID-19 positivity rates and hospitalizations” in making their announcement. “While some individuals may choose to continue to wear masks, this will no longer be a requirement but rather an individual’s choice based on their preference and level of risk,” they said.
The announcement came as public health officials on Friday reported 900 newly confirmed COVID cases, a 1.82 percent seven-day positivity rate, 345 patients hospitalized for COVID, and 23 new, confirmed deaths.
Massachusetts was the last state in the nation to reopen its capitol to the public on February 22. The closure of the State House had little impart on the real business of government, but it became symbolic of the state’s caution when it comes to COVID. Gov. Charlie Baker said he thought the reopening should have taken place sooner but Mariano and Spilka moved cautiously, prompting some isolated protests.
Paul Diego Craney, a spokesperson for the conservative Mass Fiscal Alliance, issued a statement suggesting Massachusetts legislative leaders were out of step with the rest of society. “A reopening plan that took 713 days to develop, gets canned after 13 days,” Craney said. “MassFiscal is pleased to hear legislative leaders see the value in joining the rest of society.”