New London, Groton City and Town lift indoor mask mandates
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Leaders of New London and Groton municipalities, with guidance from Ledge Light Health District, have dropped their COVID-19 indoor mask mandates effective immediately.
Citing New London County data from the Centers for Disease Control, the cities of New London and Groton, and the Town of Groton, have agreed to take a regional approach to maintain a consistent message when possible regarding COVID-19.
Stephen Mansfield, Director of Ledge Light Health District, said recent data indicates 81.7% of residents of New London County are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, making it the second highest rate of vaccination among the state’s eight counties.
Further, Mansfield said CDC data shows the rate of COVID-19 infections in the county has dropped significantly over the past few weeks, and that all municipalities within the Health District have experienced a steady decline in the number of new cases over the past eight weeks.
Additionally, the recent approval of COVID-19 vaccines for school-aged children and the availability of COVID-19 booster vaccinations for a larger segment of the population contributed to this decision.
Although the mandate for wearing masks indoors is being lifted, Mansfield and the municipal leaders strongly recommend that all individuals, both vaccinated and unvaccinated, continue to wear masks indoors.
Mask wearing is a simple, common-sense mitigation measure that helps prevent the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, according to the CDC.
In keeping with CDC guidelines, Connecticut continues to require that masks be worn by everyone in healthcare facilities, facilities housing vulnerable populations, public and private transit vehicles, correctional facilities, schools, and childcare facilities. Businesses and state and local government offices have the option to require masks to be worn in their establishments.
“We believe that based on the data and the promise of more vaccinations to come, this lifting of the indoor mask mandate for all three municipalities is the correct course,” said New London Mayor Michael Passero. “We’re grateful to Stephen Mansfield and the staff of Ledge Light Health District for their guidance in this regional approach.”
In a joint statement, Groton City Mayor Keith Hedrick and Groton Town Manager John Burt said, “The City and Town of Groton and City of New London have been working closely with Ledge Light Health District to monitor the transmission rates in our area. We are grateful for the support of our residents that helped us get to the point where transmission rates have decreased significantly, and vaccination rates have increased, allowing us to lift the mandate.”