Covid-19

The Board of Health has ordered all residents to wear face masks starting Friday, May 1 when they’re in public — even when outdoors in some cases.

The order posted on April 30 and sent to all Lincoln households via robocall says that everyone age 5 and older entering public spaces including stores and government offices as well as group homes, nursing homes, and other communal facilities must wear a cloth or paper face mask that covers the nose and mouth. There are exceptions for anyone who has trouble breathing or anyone who is unable to remove the mask without assistance, as well as for children under age 5.

Employees in grocery stores, retail store, and food service establishments must wear face coverings, and all businesses open to the public must post signs at their entrances advising customers that they are required to wear a face covering on entering.

Walkers, joggers, cyclists, and others using the town’s roads, sidewalks, bike paths and trails must wear face coverings when approaching or overtaking other people. When no one else is nearby, the face covering may be worn under the chin in a position from which it can be quickly pulled up over the nose and mouth when needed. When approaching or overtaking another person, both parties must move off the path to the side to establish at least six feet of separation.

The order does not have an expiration date; “it will be discontinued when the Board of Health decides there is no longer a public health emergency,” Public Health Nurse Tricia McGean said.

Anyone who does not already have a mask can call the Council on Aging at 781-259-8811 or the Board of Health at 781-259-2614, or check with other residents or online for sources of handmade cloth masks.

Lincoln joins a growing list of cities and towns that are requiring face masks. As of Thursday, 34 Massachusetts communities had issued similar orders, most of which took effect on April 29 or April 30, according to lists on Boston.com and NECN. Waltham’s rule takes effect May 1.

Towns including Cambridge and Somerville say they will fine residents who violate the order. Lincoln’s order notes that it will be enforced as necessary by the Board of Health and Lincoln Police “with the potential for the imposition of fines,” though McGean said that officials hope that won’t be necessary.

The Lincoln Squirrel has compiled some charts from Covid-19 data supplied by the state Department of Public Health. Click any chart to enlarge.

Some observations:

• The New York Times Covid-19 dashboard divides U.S. states into three categories: those where Covid-19 cases are still increasing, those where new cases are slowing, and those where new cases are decreasing. Massachusetts falls into the first category and has the highest cases total of the 22 states in that group. It’s currently #3 in the country (after New York and New Jersey) in total number of cases.
• Though cases in Massachusetts are still increasing, the rate of increase has slowed considerably since peaking on March 25 and has been averaging about 5% a day for the last two weeks.
• Lincoln saw a steady rise in cases after public health officials began posting figures on March 21, but there have been no new cases reported since April 25.
• The state Department of Public Health began publishing town-by-town data on April 16 and is now updating its figures every Wednesday. Among area towns, Lincoln has both the lowest total number of cases and also the lowest prevalence of Covid-19 as a unit of population. Lexington has the highest number of cases as well as the highest prevalence. It also has the largest population and is geographically closest to Boston.