Face coverings are now required in order to enter the Brunswick Town Hall regardless of vaccination status, according to an emergency order issued by Town Manager John Eldridge on Monday.
According a statement from Eldridge, the decision was made in light of Cumberland County being categorized under substantial risk for transmission of COVID-19 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“In accordance with the recently approved state law and town council policy, the council and all board and committee meetings may be conducted remotely,” Eldridge wrote in the statement. “The town council will consider extending or amending the emergency order at its August 16th meeting.”
The emergency order comes at a time when concerns continue to grow surrounding the delta variant, a more contagious strain of COVID-19 that has been attributed to the uptick in cases in Maine and across the nation.
The Maine CDC currently recommends that all individuals resume masking indoors in high or substantial COVID-19 transmission areas regardless of vaccination status. Cumberland County was first categorized under substantial transmission last Wednesday.
According to the Maine CDC, 69.33% of Maine residents have received a final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. As of Thursday, the CDC estimates that more than 95% of eligible Brunswick residents are vaccinated.
As of Monday, 71,305 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in total statewide, alongside 901 deaths. In Cumberland County, 17,739 have been reported, with 206 deaths.
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