ORDER RELATED TO THE WEARING OF FACE COVERINGS IN PUBLIC

Town of Worthington
Board of Health
160 Huntington Rd. Box 247
Worthington, MA 01098
238-5577 x 106 
boardofhealth@worthington.ma.us

At their meeting on Saturday, May 2, 2020 the Worthington Board of Health adopted the following Order issued by Governor Charles Baker on May 1, 2020. This Order is effective Wednesday, May 6, 2020, and shall remain in effect until rescinded or until the emergency is terminated, whichever happens first.

ORDER RELATED TO THE WEARING OF FACE COVERINGS IN PUBLIC

Effective Wednesday, May 6, 2020, any person over age two who is in a place open to the public in the Commonwealth, whether indoor or outdoor, and is unable to or does not maintain a distance of approximately six feet from every other person shall cover their mouth and nose with a mask or cloth face covering, except where a person is unable to wear a mask or face covering due to a medical condition or the person is otherwise exempted by Department of Public Health guidance.  A person who declines to wear a mask or cloth face covering because of a medical condition shall not be required to produce documentation verifying the condition.  This requirement applies to all workers and customers of businesses and other organizations  open to the public that are permitted to operate as COVID-19 Essential Businesses as defined in Appendix A ofCOVID-19 Order 13, as extended by COVID-19 Orders 21 and 30.

All persons are required to wear masks or cloth face coverings at all times when inside grocery stores, pharmacies, and other retail stores.  All persons are also required to wear masks or cloth face coverings when providing or using the services of any taxi, car, livery, ride-sharing, or similar service or any means of mass public transit, or while within an enclosed or semi­ enclosed transit stop or waiting area. If a customer refuses to wear a mask or cloth face covering for non-medical reasons, a business may decline entry to the individual.

All persons are strongly discouraged from using medical-grade masks to meet the requirements of this Order, as medical-grade masks should be reserved for healthcare workers and first responders.

The Department of Public Health, local boards of health and authorized agents pursuant to G. L. c. 111, § 30 are authorized to enforce this Order and if necessary may do so with the assistance of State or municipal police.  Violation of the terms of this Order or Department of Public Health Guidance may result in a civil fine of up to $300 per violation, in the manner provided for non-criminal disposition of violations of municipal by-law, ordinance, rule, or regulation pursuant to G. L. c. 40, § 21D.