With the end of the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency and the drop in the number of hospital admissions (as of publishing this blog the Boston Metro Area is averaging 3.2 hospital admissions per 100K according to the site: Covid ActNow), gather here is lifting our mask requirement for in-store shopping beginning May 12, 2023. We will continue to require workshop participants to mask due to the long period of time attendees spend together in close-ish quarters.
We believe that craft is for everyone and recognize that dropping the mask requirement may make shopping a dangerous activity for some community members. To provide a safe(r) experience for those folks we will continue to require masking on Mondays. Want to visit on another day? No problem. If you would be more comfortable in a masked environment, please give us a call (617-714-4880) — we will distribute masks to other visitors and require masking while you’re visiting.
We will keep an eye out for spikes in COVID-19 cases in the Boston Metro Area as well as the Wastewater COVID tracker. Wastewater testing offers an unbiased view of whether SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is present; whether cases are going up or down; and even what variants are present. Should there be 14 hospitalizations per 100K over a 7 day period we will once again require masks for all.
Please note that over the last three years we added portable air cleaners to supplement increased HVAC system ventilation and filtration to help fight the spread of viruses in the air. We hope that with the high rate of vaccination in our area and encouraging folks to practice "mindful masking" (wearing a mask in crowded areas, after recovering from COVID-19, or if you've have been in close contact with someone with COVID) coupled with increased ventilation we will not regret this policy change.