Effective today, Sept. 7, masks will be required for entry into Town Hall. Staff will be required to use masks except when at their own desks, and not within six feet of anyone else.
This policy is in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Eastern Highlands Health District. The guidance follows the rise of infections from the delta variant of the coronavirus. It is important to note that while vaccinated people can be infected by the virus, serious illness is extremely rare even in that population. For example, a recent (8/25) study from Washington State shows that among people aged 64 or younger who were hospitalized with covid, 96% to 99% were not vaccinated, as were 97% to 99% of those who died. In people older than 65, 87% of those hospitalized or who died were not vaccinated. An earlier study from New York State shows a similar pattern.
In short, the primary danger of the delta variant, and of all forms of covid, is to the unvaccinated. Masking indoors is their best protection, which is why we are doing it at Town Hall. But the best protection for everyone is vaccination. Widespread vaccination not only protects us all from illness, but also reduces the amount of virus in circulation, and thus gives the virus fewer chances to mutate (and ultimately to escape the vaccine). If you are not yet vaccinated, please consider discussing your decision with your health care provider.
This policy is in accordance with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Eastern Highlands Health District. The guidance follows the rise of infections from the delta variant of the coronavirus. It is important to note that while vaccinated people can be infected by the virus, serious illness is extremely rare even in that population. For example, a recent (8/25) study from Washington State shows that among people aged 64 or younger who were hospitalized with covid, 96% to 99% were not vaccinated, as were 97% to 99% of those who died. In people older than 65, 87% of those hospitalized or who died were not vaccinated. An earlier study from New York State shows a similar pattern.
In short, the primary danger of the delta variant, and of all forms of covid, is to the unvaccinated. Masking indoors is their best protection, which is why we are doing it at Town Hall. But the best protection for everyone is vaccination. Widespread vaccination not only protects us all from illness, but also reduces the amount of virus in circulation, and thus gives the virus fewer chances to mutate (and ultimately to escape the vaccine). If you are not yet vaccinated, please consider discussing your decision with your health care provider.