‘Mask advisory’ issued for Grafton as Covid variant surges

The Grafton Board of Health has issued a mask advisory due to a surge in positive COVID-19 cases, strongly encouraging that residents wear masks and that eligible residents be up-to-date on vaccines and boosters. 

The advisory comes as Grafton experienced an increase of 62 cases over the past week, according to the Central Mass Regional Health Alliance. Grafton schools report 46 cases since May 19.

“The coronavirus subvariant behind the surge, BA.2, is more transmissible the Omicron but does not pack the same punch,” Grafton Board of Health Vice Chair Daniel Finn wrote in a letter announcing the advisory.

Since the first town case in March 2020, Grafton has had 3,431 confirmed cases of Covid. There have been 2,611 deaths in Worcester County since the start of the pandemic and close to a million nationwide.

“While the days of mask mandates are hopefully behind us, we should make a risk assessment for ourselves to determine whether masks are appropriate,” Finn wrote. “We strongly urge that getting vaccinated not be viewed as optional, but as an important and effective public health remedy that will keep these subvariants from continuing to mutate and cause a surge in cases. We are confident that if we all work together as we did when the pandemic first started, we can keep our community safe.”

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