DPH official: Worker vaccinations critical
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Brookhaven Assisted Living's site in West Brookfield
The state Public Health Council signed off Wednesday on COVID-19 vaccine mandates for in-home care workers and staff in rest homes, assisted living residences and hospice programs, approving a trio of regulatory changes to implement the requirements.
Introducing the regulatory amendments, which were approved on an emergency basis and will be subject to a public comment period, the Department of Public Health's Marita Callahan described the workforce vaccinations as "critical" to protecting the health of vulnerable residents.
The Baker administration announced last week that it would seek the council's approval to extend an existing vaccine mandate on certain long-term care staff to include additional caregivers and facilities, in an effort to protect older people from COVID-19.
Workers affected by the new policy will have until Oct. 31 to get vaccinated, unless they qualify for a medical or religious exemption.
The council also voted 9-4 to finalize the repeal of universal mask mandate regulations that are no longer in effect. The council repealed those regulations on an emergency basis in June, and since then some members have raised concerns around the message it would send to formally strike the mask rules while the more infectious Delta variant has led to increased spread of the coronavirus.
The widespread masking mandate in place in Massachusetts earlier in the pandemic has been replaced by an advisory for people to wear masks in indoor public places if they or someone in their household is vulnerable to the disease, along with targeted mandates applying to specific settings like schools, transit and health care settings.
"I don't think we're really protecting the public to the full extent if we have a piecemeal, incremental approach," said Dr. Edward Bernstein, one of the councilors to vote against the repeal.
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