BOSTON (AP) – Several Boston museums and other attractions are bringing indoor masking requirements under updated guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease, Control and Prevention in response to a surge in cases caused by the coronavirus delta variant, return.
The Museum of Fine Arts, the Institute of Contemporary Art, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, and the New England Aquarium are among the institutions that announced this week that starting Saturday, all visitors 5 years and older, regardless of vaccination status, will wear face coverings indoors.
“In this time of increasing health risks, our commitment to one another is paramount and we hope that our visitors respect our employees who are now in the position of enforcement,” the Museum of Fine Arts wrote on social media.
The aquarium also asked for understanding.
“Please be respectful of our employees when they ask you to comply with this policy. Through this policy, we are working to reduce transmission and protect each other. Visitors who violate the mask policy are encouraged to leave the aquarium, ”said a statement on its website.
Suffolk County, which includes Boston, has “significant” COVID-19 transmission rates, according to the CDC.
Many institutions relaxed the masking guidelines in May.
