City of Cambridge requires all residents over age of five to wear face coverings in public places, businesses, common areas of residential buildings
Individuals in violation of face covering policy may be issued warning or violation notice with $300 fine
The City of Cambridge’s face covering policy starting Oct. 2 requires all residents over the age of five to wear face coverings in all public places, businesses, and common areas of residential buildings.
Face coverings can only be removed while seated in restaurants or cafes for dine-in. Those found in violation of the order may be issued a warning or a violation notice with a fine of $300.
Regardless of pod affiliation or physical distancing, students living on campus are required to wear face coverings in “all outdoor common areas, including walkways, courtyards and roof decks,” Judy Robinson, senior associate dean of residential education, and David Friedrich, senior associate dean of Housing and Residential Services, wrote in an email to students living on campus Sept. 30.
“Face coverings are required in all indoor common areas such as lobbies, hallways, elevators, stairwells, laundry rooms, parking lots/garages,” Robinson and Friedrich wrote. These regulations “will not impact the privileges available to members of pods in designated pod lounge areas.”
The MIT COVID-19 student policies write that students may remove their face coverings when “alone in a private office or personal space with a closed door” or when interacting with members of their pod in their residence hall. Students may also remove their face coverings when seated to eat or drink while maintaining six feet of physical distancing.
The policies also write that “on the basis of published test data, bandanas are not acceptable face coverings because of unacceptably low protection.”
During the summer, Cambridge residents, including students living on campus, were permitted to temporarily remove their face coverings outdoors while maintaining six feet of physical distancing. The use of face coverings helps prevent asymptomatic people from transmitting COVID-19 to others through respiratory droplets, Robinson and Friedrich wrote.