BOSTON — Massachusetts will end its public health emergency from Covid on Thursday in line with federal guidelines, marking a milestone in the battle against the virus, state public health officials said Tuesday.
That will include revoking a state order requiring masks for all providers and visitors in healthcare settings, Dr. Robert Goldstein, commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, told reporters earlier this afternoon.
“We are, after years of hard work, in a better place,” Goldstein said. He added that public health officials “will continue to prioritize prevention in everything we do as we adapt to living with Covid-19.”
However, Goldstein stressed that “This is not the end of the pandemic. This is not the end of Covid.” Rather, it is the end of the emergency phase of the pandemic, he said.
Access to the Covid vaccine will remain, and the cost of the vaccine will still fall to the federal government, Goldstein said.
“No one should be limited in their access to vaccines,” he said.
Covid transmission levels are down across the state, with no counties experiencing elevated transmission of the virus since February, Goldstein said. The World Health Organization has also declared that the COVID-19 pandemic is no longer a global emergency.
Healthcare facilities may return to masking when necessary if transmission levels rise, he said.
“The risk is extremely low and reducing the mask mandate is following the available science and data,” he said.
If and when Covid levels rise in the future, masking will remain an option, he said.
Goldstein said the state handled the pandemic “incredibly well.”
“We were ready,” he said.
State public health officials “remain committed to tracking and monitoring COVID-19,” Goldstein said.
He also urged citizens to stay home when they are sick to prevent others from getting sick.
“We need to remain vigilant when the state’s public Covid emergency is over,” he said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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