Baker needs to lead on mask mandate

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker’s resistance to a statewide mask mandate as coronavirus cases surge is perplexing and smacks of politics.

Baker is surrounded by voices of reason, but so far has not been swayed. He says people “should be wearing masks,” but he doesn’t want to mandate them.

It’s a departure from the moderate Republican’s previous policies that placed Massachusetts at No. 5 in the country for the percentage of the vaccinated population a year after the COVID-19 shots became available. More than 5 million people have been fully vaccinated here, and another 1.7 million have been boosted.

Yet cases of COVID-19 are soaring – there were 7,070 new positive ones reported in Massachusetts on Friday. And as the number of infections goes up, a growing number of lawmakers, public health experts and other state officials are pressuring the governor to do more to combat the spread.

In schools, the indoor mask mandate was up for reconsideration last week, but that is no longer the case. Education Commissioner Jeff Riley said Friday that although his department planned to make an announcement, he wants to wait for more facts before making a decision, State House News Service reported.

“The medical community asked for some additional time so that we have better facts on the ground,” he told the Board of Education. “They’re learning a lot very quickly about the omicron variant. We’ll wait and see, and see what the situation looks like in early January for a decision.”

Asked Thursday if he was thinking of extending the school mask mandate, Baker told State House News, “That’s a conversation that you probably ought to have with the commissioner and the folks at DESE. My understanding is they’ve been tracking the data just like everyone else.”

Massachusetts Medical Society President Dr. Carole Allen and Dr. Nahid Bhadelia, founding director of Boston University’s Center for Emerging Infectious Diseases Policy and Research, said Friday adding layers of protection is sensible, and that includes a return to wearing masks in public spaces, even for people who are fully vaccinated.

Though invited by the Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management to participate in a Thursday oversight hearing to address the surge, no one from Baker’s office could fit it into their schedules. On the guest list were Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders, Acting Public Health Commissioner Margret Cooke, and Office of Preparedness and Emergency Management Director Kerin Milesky. None attended or offered testimony.

A frustrated Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, a leader of the hearing, called the governor’s position “irresponsible.” And Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association CEO Steve Walsh warned last week that the surge also comes as staffing shortages are stretching hospital capacities thinner than ever.

Still, Baker – a vocal critic of former President Donald Trump’s failure to guide states on how to react at the outset of the pandemic – fails to lead. Speaking to reporters Thursday he again balked at implementing a mandate, instead advising local officials to impose their own.

“There are many communities that incorporated advisories and mandates into other indoor locations in their communities,” Baker said, referencing Boston’s. “At this point in time, I think it’s important for the locals to do what they think makes the most sense for their communities.”

Thirteen lawmakers wrote a letter to Baker earlier in the week urging him to rethink his administration’s pandemic policies, including universal indoor masking, MassLive reported. Along with it they sent an action plan endorsed by more than 120 public health and medical experts, as well as 30 community organizations.

But even with surging breakthrough cases, Baker insists shots are enough.

“The data that’s out there on delta, omicron and all the rest says the vaccines are effective,” he said.

On the heels of the announcement he won’t run for another term as governor, Baker seems to be working to prove he is a “real” Republican and won’t give in easily to mandates. It’s not so unlike his fellow governor over the border, hardcore Republican Chris Sununu, whose retaliation against mandates has resulted in such a spike in COVID cases that New Hampshire is now the most dangerous place to live amid the surge.