Citing the rise of the Delta variant and its threat to the unvaccinated population, Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin has issued an indoor mask mandate, effective Wednesday morning.
"The Delta variant is out in our community," says Bronin. "It is highly transmissible and it is affecting younger people as well. So, we are particularly conscious at this moment, when we are just a few weeks away from the start of school, that our number one priority is to slow the spread of this variant."
The mayor is asking the public to rally behind the mask mandate and vaccinations, in the interest of protecting those who can't get the vaccine: children under 12. Hartford Public Schools Superintendent Leslie Torres-Rodriguez says that masks will again be required in all school buildings for the new school year, which begins Aug. 30.
According to the mayor's office, the citywide mandate applies "to anyone indoors in Hartford, with exceptions for those with relevant medical conditions, those under the age of 2, those eating or drinking, and those who are alone in an indoor space or in an office setting where there are partitions between them and other people."
Since Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont gave cities and towns the power to set their own rules on masks, the state's four biggest cities have initiated mask mandates: Bridgeport, New Haven, Stamford and Hartford.
Connecticut's fifth-largest city is Waterbury, where Mayor Neil O'Leary says he's monitoring the situation closely.
The sixth-largest city, Norwalk, has issued a mask mandate that will take effect on Friday.
