AMHERST — As mask-wearing becomes mandatory across Massachusetts when inside grocery stores and retail businesses, Amherst’s state representative is seeking to have the state arrange for the manufacture and distribution of face coverings.
Democratic Rep. Mindy Domb on Friday filed a bill that directs the state Department of Public Health to ramp up the production of masks and to make sure that all residents have access to them.
In a post to her Facebook page, Domb explained the need for such a measure.
“As we move to ‘reopen the economy’ and require people to wear masks, I believe we need to make sure that there is equal access to them by distributing them for free,” Domb wrote.
She also noted that the bill takes on urgency due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the orders from Gov. Charlie Baker requiring masks when in various establishments and when people are outdoors and not able to ensure the 6-foot social distancing required to limit the spread of infection.
The language of the bill states that the state health department would contract with manufacturers to produce cloth face coverings that it would purchase, with those making them being based in Massachusetts, and also prioritizing those businesses whose employees have a union contract. The bill requires the masks to be produced in accordance with guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Once the production is established, the state health department, in coordination with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, will proceed to distribute cloth face coverings to local emergency management directors or local health officers so that they can be put to immediate use by both municipal employees and residents.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
