MANCHESTER, CT- In response to a sustained improvement in COVID-19 transmission rates and decreased hospitalizations, Acting General Manager Steve Stephanou and Mayor Jay Moran announced that the Town of Manchester has ended the Town’s indoor mask mandate that had previously applied to all indoor public spaces, meeting spaces, private businesses, and all places of employment. This discontinuance of the mask mandate is effective at 12:01am on Friday, October 15, 2021.

On August 21, 2021, in accordance with Governor Lamont’s Executive Order Executive Order No. 13A, the Town of Manchester issued a Town wide mask mandate for all indoor spaces that are frequented by the public, regardless of vaccination status. At the time, the number of individuals hospitalized with COVID-19 in Hartford County had increased tenfold since early July and the town had entered the Red Alert status for number of new cases per day as defined by the state.

As of October 14th, the town’s average daily rate of COVID-19 cases has decreased by 60% since early September, going from 20.3 to 8.1. An average daily rate of 8.1 as of October 14th places Manchester in the “yellow” alert status as defined by the state. Hospitalizations in Hartford County have dropped by nearly 70% since the mask mandate was instituted in late August.

“The drop in COVID-19 transmission rates in Manchester and Hartford County hospitalizations is good news. I want to thank Manchester residents and businesses for doing their part to stop the spread of COVID-19 in Manchester and helping our community mitigate the impact of the Delta variant and summer surge,” said Mayor Jay Moran. “I am also extremely proud that nearly 80% of eligible Manchester residents are now vaccinated.”

Upon issuing the local mandate in August, Acting General Manager Stephanou stated that the goal in Manchester was to 1) ensure the safe in-person reopening of schools and 2) avoid business shutdown and capacity mandates. “The Town has consistently said that our policy on COVID would be informed by objective data, and both the initial decision to instate a local mandate and now remove it has been based on the changes in transmission rates, hospitalizations, and deaths”, said Acting General Manager Stephanou. “Going forward, we will continue to closely monitor the state’s weekly COVID-19 data reports and the trends in key indicators; should transmission rates and hospitalizations once again increase, the masking policy will be reconsidered.”

Even with the improved numbers, the Town of Manchester, in accordance with CDC guidelines, still strongly recommends that all residents, visitors, and businesses follow CDC guidance to wear masks indoors. The masking requirement for all visitors, regardless of vaccination status, will remain in Town-owned buildings, including Town Hall, Lincoln Center, Mary Cheney and Whiton Libraries, and Recreation Centers, etc. The Health Department is also emphasizing the critical importance of vaccinations.

“Study after study continues to show that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and highly effective,” said Health Director Jeffrey Catlett, MPH, R.S. “While we are pleased to see the decrease in disease transmission rates that have put Manchester in a position to safely lift the local mask mandate, vaccines remain our most important tool in the effort to finally put an end to this pandemic.”

As of October 14th, 79.3% of Manchester residents who are eligible have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 73.8% are fully vaccinated. Factoring in all age groups, 69% of Manchester residents have received at least one dose of the vaccine.

In an effort to increase local vaccination rates, the Town of Manchester has worked with the Manchester Road Race to sponsor two free vaccine clinics. The clinics will be held in the cafeteria of Illing Middle School, 227 East Middle Turnpike in Manchester, from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday October 16 and on Saturday November 6. The clinics are free and open to everyone and will offer the Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines. First and second vaccinations, and Pfizer booster shots for those who qualify under current guidelines to receive them, will be available.

For information on obtaining the vaccine, please contact the Manchester Health Department at 860-647-3173/ [email protected]