PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Do fully vaccinated Pa. voters who show up to the polls in Tuesday's primary election need to wear a mask? (Hint: Depending on where you are, you might want to have one in your pocket, just in case.) We take it county by county.
"Fully vaccinated" means someone has received their second dose of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine, or their single dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, two weeks ago.
Both Delaware County and Philadelphia say poll workers and volunteers must wear masks, regardless of vaccination status. Fully vaccinated voters are encouraged to wear them.
Philadelphia has not yet announced a date when it will end its mask requirement.
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Delaware County's director of elections operations, Jim Allen, says there are polling locations in private buildings that still require masks.
"Rather than trying to create, within two days, a confusing set of rules, we’re setting one standard for our poll workers. We’re encouraging our voters, just like we did in November 2020, to wear masks," Allen said.
“Hopefully, this will be the last election where masks are even a factor.”
In Bucks County, fully vaccinated poll workers, volunteers and voters are not requitred to wear a mask.
Health Director Dr. David Damsker says anyone who is fully vaccinated can still choose to wear a mask.
"There’s no shame in that," he said. "We encourage people to do that if it makes you feel better. But I would say, over time, we want people to realize that, once you’ve been vaccinated, that’s the best mitigation we’re going to have. In most situations, it is safe to remove your mask."
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Montgomery County and Chester County both said fully vaccinated poll workers are not required to masks, unless the building housing the polling-location is requiring them.
But Montgomery County is encouraging vaccinated workers to wear a mask or face shield in part to help voters feel more comfortable.