Town of Simsbury Rescinds Executive Mask Order

As of Friday, October 22, 2021 at 12:01 am, fully vaccinated individuals are no longer required to wear face masks in indoor public spaces in Simsbury, following the rescission of the Town of Simsbury Emergency Order 21-1, as revised. Per Governor Lamont’s Executive Order 13A, unvaccinated individuals are still required to wear masks in all indoor settings.

This decision comes as Simsbury’s COVID cases have been trending downward over the last few weeks.  Simsbury remains in the “yellow” level of transmission, defined by the Connecticut Department of Public Health as 5 to 9 cases per 100,000 people. 

In order to ensure that essential services and infrastructure remain open and operational for the public, masks will continue to be required in all municipal buildings. In addition, under the Governor’s Executive Order 13A, masks are required for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, in healthcare facilities, facilities housing vulnerable populations, public and private transit settings, correctional facilities, schools, and childcare facilities.

Throughout the pandemic, the Town has taken steps to carefully balance the safety and health of our residents and patrons, while keeping essential services and infrastructure fully operational. We have also closely followed the advice of local, state and federal public health officials.  While it can be difficult to measure the effectiveness of prevention strategies, since the mask order was originally issued in late-August, Simsbury never reached red alert status, the highest level of risk for the DPH municipal alert system.  Comparatively, seven of the other nine towns in our health district reached red alert at some point during the same time period. 

This has been a difficult issue, with strong sentiments on both sides of the matter.  The Town is grateful to the Simsbury community for doing their best under difficult circumstances to be a good neighbor, ensuring that all members of our community remain safe. 

As a reminder, children under the age of 12 are not yet eligible for the vaccine, and are still vulnerable to COVID. Mask-wearing by both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals is an essential component in protecting them until they become eligible for the vaccine.  FVHD shared an informative article from the CDC on the effectiveness of the use of cloth masks to slow the spread of the virus. 

Under the Governor’s Executive Order 13A, private businesses, state government, and local government offices have the option to require masks to be worn by everyone in their establishments, regardless of vaccination status.  Thank you in advance for respecting the requirements of private businesses, and thank you for your continued cooperation and diligence in working together to protect all members of our community.