Masks are now mandatory at the Wilton Town Hall, as community transmissions rise to a pandemic high in town.
Upon recommendation of Health Officer Dawson Gay due to the recent upsurge in COVID-19 rates in Wilton and the region, the Select Board has voted that masks will be required at the Town Hall building at 42 Main St. until further notice. Free masks are provided for public use at the entrances to the building.
Town Administrator Nick Germain said Tuesday that the decision was made due to the current rates of infection in the community.
“We’re much, much worse than even the worst time at the beginning of the pandemic, even when we were on lockdown,” Germain said. “We’ve had some exposures at Town Hall, and it’s the nature of a small town that if enough people get sick, it could shut down the entire town, and we want to avoid that.”
As of Friday, there were a reported 56 active cases in Wilton, with a total of 643 reported throughout the pandemic. Germain said that was comparable to other highs during the pandemic of 20-plus cases. According to the state’s COVID-19 tracker, as of Tuesday, there were a total of 20,045 active cases of COVID-19 in New Hampshire. As of Tuesday, there have been 250,581 cases and 2,085 deaths in the state throughout the pandemic.
Germain said people are still allowed to come into the town offices, as was the case prior to the mask mandate. Those who do not want to wear a mask or cannot due to medical reasons will be accommodated, Germain said, either by meeting with staff outside of Town Hall or completing processes online, by phone or by mail.
“They’ll be able to get the same services as if they were walking in, but it might take a little bit longer,” Germain said.
Germain said there is not a “magic line in the sand” for when the mask mandate ends, but the Select Board plans to revisit the policy periodically, and remove the mandate when cases subside to a lower level.
People who have necessary business at Town Hall and cannot wear a mask, should call 603-654-9451 to request an accommodation.
Ashley Saari can be reached at 924-7172 ext. 244 or asaari@ledgertranscript.com. She’s on Twitter @AshleySaariMLT.