Name: Charlie Baker’s new mask mandate ‘pandemic theater,’ says Harvard epidemiologist
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Charlie Baker’s new mask mandate ‘pandemic theater,’ says Harvard epidemiologist

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By | | Boston HeraldGov. Charlie Baker’s new mask mandate that requires people to wear masks in public at all times — no matter how far away they are from other people — is catching flack from a health care expert who questions what it will do to reduce infections.“Masks now mandated outdoors in MA regardless of distancing. How will this reduce infections? Most transmission is happening indoors, so ensure people have safer spaces to gather: tents, heat lamps, fire pits. Focus on actual risk, not pandemic theater,” tweeted Julia Marcus, epidemiologist and associate professor at Harvard Medical School.Masks now mandated outdoors in MA regardless of distancing. How will this reduce infections? Most transmission is happening indoors, so ensure people have safer spaces to gather: tents, heat lamps, fire pits. Focus on actual risk, not pandemic theater.— Julia Marcus, PhD, MPH (@JuliaLMarcus)Baker announced the heightened mask rule in a Monday press conference where he for all residents from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. nightly.The new order requires everyone over the age of 5 to wear a face covering in public at all times — “no more exceptions — and no exemptions” and whether or not you’re standing 6 feet apart.Baker on Tuesday defended the order, saying as he held up his own face mask “if people could just wear these things for 30 days we could kill the virus.”“I can’t express how important it is for all of us to execute on what I would call proper mask etiquette,” Baker said, calling masks a “well-known, well-established tool to stop transmission.”The governor’s latest round of pandemic-era executive orders came after the ninth consecutive day of new COVID-19 cases exceeding 1,000 per day.&nbsp; The state’s total number of virus-related deaths surpassed 10,000 last weekend.Violating any of the orders could carry civil fines but they are notoriously hard to enforce. The language of the orders leaves enforcement to state and local authorities including State Police, boards of health and local police.Monday and Tuesday saw new case numbers dip slightly to 725 and 923, respectively, according to DPH data.“This is about personal responsibility and if everybody in Massachusetts — everybody — then we’re all going to have one heck of a holiday season and I would love to see that,” the Republican governor said.Others criticized Baker, saying he’s “missed the opportunity” to hold off a second surge in cases by not doing more. Massachusetts Public Health Association Executive Director Carlene Pavlos called for “bold actions” to protect residents.“COVID can’t be stopped by personal responsibility alone. Workers, people who need to double up in apartments because they were evicted, people living in shelters, and people who are incarcerated are just some of the folks suffering the most through no fault of their own,” Pavlos said.We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.Sign up for email newslettersFollow UsMost PopularClose

By | | Boston HeraldGov. Charlie Baker’s new mask mandate that requires people to wear masks in public at all times — no matter how far away they are from other people — is catching flack from a health care expert who questions what it will do to reduce infections.“Masks now mandated outdoors in MA regardless of distancing. How will this reduce infections? Most transmission is happening indoors, so ensure people have safer spaces to gather: tents, heat lamps, fire pits. Focus on actual risk, not pandemic theater,” tweeted Julia Marcus, epidemiologist and associate professor at Harvard...

Charlie Baker’s new mask mandate ‘pandemic theater,’ says Harvard epidemiologist

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