Martha’s Vineyard boards of health will take up the question of whether to continue the mandatory Islandwide indoor mask mandate this week, as regional and national guidance shifts toward a looser approach to face coverings in public.
With Covid-19 now racing through the Vineyard community, boards of health issued a public health message Tuesday urging Islanders to take steps to protect themselves from infection.
The Edgartown, Oak Bluffs and Tisbury boards of health voted unanimously to institute a mask mandate for indoor public spaces during a rare emergency, joint meeting Tuesday morning, changing course again as cases climb.
In a significant shift, Island boards of health have issued a mask advisory for indoor public spaces on the Vineyard, regardless of vaccination status, the contagious Delta variant continues to spread.
A new private-public coalition announced this week will monitor the presence of cyanobacteria in the Edgartown, Chilmark and Tisbury Great Ponds this summer, including through maps and a special-purpose website.
Last week, Martha’s Vineyard graduated 10 newly-trained Portuguese language interpreters through a highly-intensive, 60-hour course focused specifically on medical interpreting.
