COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Information for Gardner

Massachusetts Information and Updates

• State Official Website: www.mass.gov/covid-19 

Effective May 29 

The Commonwealth’s face covering order will be rescinded on May 29. With the exception of remaining face-covering requirements for public and private transportation systems and facilities housing vulnerable populations, all industry restrictions will be lifted, and capacity will increase to 100% for all industries. Also, effective May 29, all industries will be permitted to open.

Governor Charlie Baker will end the State of Emergency June 15. 

Phase IV

Effective April 30:

The outdoor mask mandate is being lifted for some outdoor settings.

Effective April 30, the Face Coverings Order will be relaxed for some outdoor settings.

Face coverings will only be required outside in public:

• When it is not possible to socially distance
• At other times required by sector-specific guidance.

Face coverings will still be required at all times in indoor public places. Face coverings will also continue to be required at all times at events, whether held indoors or outdoors and whether held in a public space or private home, except for when eating or drinking.

At smaller gatherings in private homes, face coverings are recommended but not required. The $300 fine as an enforcement mechanism will be eliminated.

This comes as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its guidance on outdoor mask-wearing. 

Baker is announcing further reopening plans for the commonwealth, following suit after neighboring states Connecticut, New Hampshire and Rhode Island are already moving forward in easing restrictions.

 Effective May 10:

Amusement parks, outdoor water parks can reopen at 50% capacity.

Road races and other organized athletic events will be allowed, pending safety plans approved by boards of health.

Youth and adult amateur sports tournaments will be allowed for moderate and high-risk sports.

Singing will also be permitted indoors with strict distancing requirements at performance venues, restaurants, event venues and other businesses.

 Effective May 29:

Gathering limits are being increased.

• 200 people indoors
• 250 people outdoors

Wineries, bars and breweries are allowed to reopen.

• Food order not required
• Seated service required (no standing around allowed)
• 10 people per table
• 6-feet distance between tables still required

Street festivals and parades are allowed at 50% capacity.

 Effective August 1:

All businesses can fully reopen, limitations and capacity all eliminated.

According to the Baker administration, camp requirements are still being reviewed based on updated CDC guidelines.

Baker has not announced when he will lift the indoor mask mandate.

• March 1 - Phase 3, Step 2
  • Indoor performance venues such as concert halls, theaters, and other indoor performance spaces will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity with no more than 500 persons
  • Indoor recreational activities with greater potential for contact (laser tag, roller skating, trampolines, obstacle courses) will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity
  • Capacity limits across all sectors with capacity limits will be raised to 50% and exclude employees
  • Restaurants will no longer have a percent capacity limit and will be permitted to host musical performances; six-foot social distancing, limits of six people per table and 90-minute limits remain in place

• March 22 - Phase 4, Step 1 (Provided public health metrics continue to improve)

  • Indoor and outdoor stadiums, arenas and ballparks will be allowed to operate at a 12% capacity limit after submitting a plan to the Department of Public Health.
  • Gathering limits for event venues and in public settings will increase to 100 people indoors and 150 people outdoors. Outdoor gatherings at private residences and in private backyards will remain at a maximum of 25 people, with indoor house gatherings remaining at 10 people.
  • Dance floors will be permitted at weddings and other events only
  • Overnight summer camps will be allowed to operate this coming summer.
  • Exhibition and convention halls may also begin to operate, following gatherings limits and event protocols.
• Massachusetts Travel Order takes effect on August 1, 2020.  All visitors and Massachusetts residents returning home, including students returning to campuses for the fall semester, must fill out a “Massachusetts Travel Form” and quarantine for 14 days unless they are coming from a COVID-19 lower risk state or they can produce a negative COVID-19 test result administered no more than 72 hours prior to arriving in Massachusetts, or they are included in one of the other, limited exemptions.
  
  Traveler exemptions include people coming from a lower-risk state, people passing through the state, people commuting across state lines for work, people traveling to Massachusetts for medical treatment, people complying with military orders, or people traveling to work in federally designated critical infrastructure sectors (essential services).
• Effective Wednesday, May 6, 2020, Governor Baker issued an Order requiring face masks or cloth face coverings in public places where social distancing is not possible. 
• Massachusetts Community Tracing Collaborative 
  • Phone calls will use the prefix 833 and 857 and your phone will say the call is from “MA COVID Team.”
  • Your information is strictly confidential and will be treated as the private medical record it is.  
• Governor’s Office Press Releases