Oak Bluffs Board of Health Mulls Mandatory Mask Rule

Aaron Wilson Wednesday, July 1 2020 - 3:44pm

The Oak Bluffs board of health is considering adopting a mandatory mask rule in the downtown area, similar to one adopted by the town of Nantucket this week.

At a meeting Tuesday, board of health members said they were concerned about crowds and congestion as the Island begins to fill up with summer visitors.

“It’s getting to a point where we may need to [mandate masks] just to make it easier for everyone,” said board member Tom Zino. “We have people coming in from all different areas of the country.”

Health agent Meegan Lancaster agreed.

“People don’t have a sense of what six feet is, and our sidewalks are typically narrow and crowded so it’s difficult to maintain that six feet of separation,” she said.

Ms. Lancaster said the situation is frustrating because from a public health perspective, mask wearing and social distancing “are supposed to exist in an ecosystem. And the way this has been promoted as, if you have six feet of distance don’t worry about the masks, what happens when someone sneezes, shouts or speaks loudly. Clearly those types of droplets carry further than six feet. It’s absolutely preferable to have people have masks on their face all the time when interacting with people, six feet or not.”

Board members decided to consult with town counsel Ron Rappaport for help on drafting a regulation with clearly defined areas where masks are required.

The Oak Bluffs harbor was another topic of discussion at Tuesday’s meeting. With recreational boat traffic picking up throughout the month of June, especially on weekends, board members expressed concern over boaters rafting in the mooring field.

Oak Bluffs has had a policy that allows rafting of up to four boats per mooring. But this summer due to the pandemic, state guidelines for recreational boating suggest no rafting should be allowed, and that boaters should maintain a safe distance from other recreational watercraft.

Open moorings are available on a first-come first-served basis, as usual. But new town marina rules require boaters to ask permission before rafting up with other boats. Those on the mooring first have the right to deny others shared space.

Board of health member Jim Butterick said if rafting is going to be allowed, “there’s an easy way to say, you can’t come to the shore: the launch can’t pick you up.” He continued:

“These are people who are coming from various harbors on the Cape. We have no idea who they are and no idea how much they’ve done in terms of mask wearing and social distancing. This is a high-risk group of people.”

The board agreed to draft a letter to harbor master Todd Alexander, the harbor advisory committee and the selectmen outlining their concerns. The letter will request that the suggested regulations from the state be enforced, and that the officials come back to the board of health with a plan.

Selectman Jason Balboni, who attended the meeting, acknowledged the difficulty of enforcing a no-rafting rule in the harbor. “I think you’re going to find Todd [the harbor master] is going to have another issue like everything else with enforcement. It’s going to be a full-time job for somebody who has the authority to keep people from rafting up,” Mr. Balboni said.

He added: “We’re probably understaffed for everything we’re trying to do and that’s just another example.”

Comments

Day boaters are the worst.

Kelce OB

Day boaters are the worst. They have little regard for anyone.

Kelce,that is an obnoxious

Sharon Mystic CT

Kelce,that is an obnoxious and judgemental comment. Nothing like lumping all "day boaters" into one pot. We are boaters -- and often "day boaters." While there are disrespectful boaters ... and more accurately reveling boaters that are bothersome, for the most part, the boaters we encounter are all courteous, and helpful. We have met many new friends while boating -- not sure we would get along.

Good idea, it will stop all

Mike Wallace

Good idea, it will stop all battling back and forth! Easier for all the businesses to get people to comply if everyone “ must” wear them.

Hopefully you will adopt that

james Fl

Hopefully you will adopt that mandate before I get there, I'm leaving Florida, I'm on my way.
Should I bring a mask or not? talk to me.

Please wear a mask.Florida is

Annie W Oaks Bluff

Please wear a mask.Florida is a hot spot.

Maybe you should not come, if

Dan West Tisbury

Maybe you should not come, if you need to ask. Btw, there’s a 14 day self quarantine when you arrive in Massachusetts.

Tell that tithe staff in the

Doc West Tisbury

Tell that tithe staff in the restaurants on the water front in ob

The 14 day quarantine is not

Dave Preston Buzzards Bay

The 14 day quarantine is not a law...it's only a suggestion from the Governor

Stay home or quarantine for

Skylar Oak Bluffs

Stay home or quarantine for your short time here, it will help keep the locals alive :)

As someone who came here to

Lauren Steiner West Tisbury

As someone who came here to escape the anticipated three month continuation of the already existing three month lockdown in CA and who is now going to stay all summer because of the increase in cases when they reopened the economy instead, I would say mandate masks. You just opened up. And you don’t want to be like CA which looks like they may have to close down again. Masks are the most effective way to prevent COVID especially when you can’t social distance.

I have noticed strict compliance in West Tisbury, Chilmark and Vineyard Haven and not so much in Oak Bluffs and Vineyard Haven. In fact, on Circuit Avenue the other night, about 25 percent of the folks we passed were not wearing masks. I saw some cops standing around and asked them if they were enforcing mask wearing. And they said no, they were just providing education. So I said they ought to be circulating in the crowd for that. In fact, if you mandate masks, I would feel more comfortable telling a maskless stranger that masks are required by law.

please put in mandatory mask

Zak Oak Bluffs

please put in mandatory mask rules on circuit ave and nearby downtown areas. Cases are spiking all over the country and we see license plates from all over as well. As the article says, 6 ft can be hard ti eyeball (I guess) so just wear the mask. Please. Just wear your mask.

Also this goes for law enforcement too. Can't count the number if times I see the same 3 or 4 officers without masks on.

Why are you 'mulling?' The

Nancy Rose Steinbock Edgartown

Why are you 'mulling?' The comments of Dr. Anthony Fauci and a myriad of other health experts should be enough to insist that wearing a mask in public at all times, is mandatory. Please! Let us not be science deniers. We are better than that and have a responsibility to keep ourselves and others safe. This is community activism, not an individual choice.

This should be institutes ,

Bert Oak Bluffs

This should be institutes , not mulled ! The past 2 weekends downtown and along the harbour should be evidence enough. The overwhelming majority of people have travelled here from parts unknown. The overwhelming majority of people were not wearing masks.

Please do this sooner rather

Ob Resi Oak Bluffs

Please do this sooner rather than later. Drive by OB Harbor, Circuit Ave, or Main Street in Edgartown and observe all of the people casually strolling along crowded streets and areas with masks in hands or under chins rather than on their faces. MA has mandated masks in public...I think people need to be reminded about what public means. We can’t afford to let the good work we’ve done be upended and lead to a spike that we know we can’t manage and another stricter closing of businesses. I also think we, as a community, need to be tougher on those not following guidelines. Everyone’s afraid to shame but in this case shaming is warranted and the only tool we have since the government officials have decided to go easy on enforcement.

Keep in mind there is no

bs Oak Bluffs

Keep in mind there is no requirement to wear a mask if a person has a medical reason for not doing so.

What's to mull? Sometimes

T Bone Oak Bluffs

What's to mull? Sometimes our OB selectmen miss the forest for the tree. Stop being deep thinkers and do the right thing. Masks, please.

mandate masks at all times -

John Edgartown

mandate masks at all times - it is what the scientists and public health experts are all recommending. hopefully once OB passes this, the other island towns will all follow. the island needs to unite and present a clear message no matter wear you go - stay safe, have fun, wear a mask

This is a no brainer! Wear a

Michelle Wareham

This is a no brainer! Wear a mask, nobody is asking for a kidney. I have plans to spend some time on the island late summer and I would hate to see a rise in cases because of these fools who can't wear a mask.

Yes, please MULL some more on

JT MV

Yes, please MULL some more on July freaking second, three and a half months after initial shutdown. Lets MULL some more over whether selfish boat tourists and day-trippers will actually give a flying fudgesicle about anyone but themselves. Spare me. Masks should have been mandatory beginning Memorial Day Weekend, end of story.

This morning in OB a solid 15

Andrew Edgartown

This morning in OB a solid 15% of people masked. I will stay away from OB and the businesses there this summer.

Please don’t avoid all OB

Kathleen cowley Oak bluffs

Please don’t avoid all OB businesses there are a number of businesses offering contact free sales. My shop, Enchanted Chocolates , requires a mask to enter on the property. Chocolate is sold through a take out window. The Bowling Alley is super with their curbside pickup -open your trunk and they’ll set your order in. These are just 2 examples.

I am totally convinced that

Isabella Edgartown

I am totally convinced that OB is going to be the place on the island where most of the people become exposed to CV-19! “It’s getting to a point where we may need to [mandate masks] -- OG That should have been a no brainier long ago.
Wont catch me anywhere near OB not even passing thu!

Isabella, Go down to South

Paul Oak Bluffs

Isabella, Go down to South BEach. There is no enforcement of any rules by Town employees. Believe me, if there is a place it will spread, it will be there. Im actually shocked that the Island is allowing this.

Mask mandate is desperately

Jada Jackson Oak Bluffs

Mask mandate is desperately needed from Our market to the beach covering all of downtown. No one is respecting the 6 feet or even 3 feet distance. Folks are wearing masks but along circuit, when you are eating ice cream or food, no mask is worn. Are the members of the board of health patrolling the area?

It’s well documented that

Kim Oak Bluffs

It’s well documented that COVID is transmitted by during periods of sustained exposure; not passing someone on the street.

The restaurants are packed with tables of six diners on top of each other. There were four boats tied together today with people hopping back and forth.

It’s not walking alone on the beach, it’s not walking on Circuit Avenue, that’s going to spread Covid and masks aren’t the problem or the solution. What we need is education and common sense.