As of Saturday, May 29, the state and the Town of Lincoln has lifted almost all Covid-19 public health restrictions — so Lincolnites can once again gather mask-free in places many haven’t visited in more than a year.
Massachusetts is on track to meet its goal of vaccinating 4.1 million residents by the first week of June, so all state-mandated COVID protocols will be rescinded, including capacity limits, face covering and social distancing requirements at indoor and outdoor gatherings in the workplace and elsewhere, as explained in Gov. Baker’s May 29 statement. Fully vaccinated individuals will no longer need to wear a mask or social distance indoors or outdoors. Face coverings will still be mandatory on public and private transportation systems (including rideshares and MBTA and commuter rail trains and stations), as well as in healthcare facilities and congregate care settings.
For Lincoln residents, this means some but not all local public health rules are changing.
- Town employees will no longer be required to wear masks, socially distance or maintain a daily health log.
- Visitors to town buildings and offices will not be required to sign in, wear masks or maintain distance. However, non-vaccinated visitors are asked to wear masks and to maintain distance when visiting town buildings, and guests in Bemis Hall will be asked to wear masks in the basement level for the time being.
- People are on the Lincoln or Hanscom School campus and outdoors do not need to wear a mask, but they should maintain their distance from students and staff. Everyone must continue to wear masks during student drop-off and pickup.
- Starting June 15, all town boards and committees will return to in-person meetings.
- As of June 1, visitors to the Lincoln Public Library do not need to make an appointment to visit or wear masks in the building. Patrons who are not vaccinated should continue to wear a mask and follow all social distancing guidelines.
- The library will continue with contactless pickup of borrowed materials through June 13. After that, they resume storing reserves in the reference room for patrons to pick up and check out. For patrons who have concerns about entering the building to retrieve their holds (for example, those who are immunocompromised), the library staff is happy to retrieve reserved items, check them out, and bring them to you in the front vestibule. Please call the library at 781-259-8465 ext. 204 for assistance.
- For those who prefer to check out their own materials, bring your smartphone with your digital card on it to use at the self-checkout station, or you can use the Minuteman Library Network mobile app to check out your own materials while browsing. The staff at the circulation desk is also happy to check out any materials. Click here for more details on library policies.
“We are grateful for the thoughtful and responsible way our residents have responded to the challenges of the past year, and for the concern that has been shown for one another throughout. Let’s commit to keeping this generosity of spirit alive as we move beyond the pandemic, so that we build an even tighter sense of community than existed before,” the Lincoln Public Health Team said in a statement.