WORCESTER – City employees and visitors must mask-up this week.

Citing the rise in COVID-19 cases and the proliferation of the highly-transmissible delta variant, City Manager Edward M. Augustus, Jr. issued an executive order late Tuesday night, August 10, requiring the use of masks by all City employees and visitors in municipal buildings.

The mask mandate officially goes into effect on Thursday, Aug. 12, and applies to all City employees and visitors. The mandate also applies to all city-organized events occurring indoors.

“We are all eager to be rid of the COVID-19 virus, and the surest way to accomplish that is to curb the spread,” Augustus said in a press release on Tuesday night. “Masks and face coverings are an effective way to do that, along with getting vaccinated. We have made great strides against the virus, but we are still in the midst of a pandemic. We must all do our part to ensure we beat this virus once and for all.” Augustus said the mask mandate will remain in effect indefinitely.

The mask mandate applies to the following municipal buildings:

Worcester City Hall, 455 Main St.; Municipal Service Center, 801 Main St.; Worcester Police Department; Worcester Fire Department; Worcester Public Library, 3 Salem Square; Worcester Senior Center, 128 Providence St.; Department of Public Works & Parks Customer Service, 76 East Worcester St.; Union Station, 2 Washington Square; and Worcester Division of Public Health/Inspectional Services, 25 Meade St. Masks must also be worn by employees and visitors at the MassHire Workforce Career Center/MassHire Central Region Workforce Board at 340 Main St.

This mask requirement follows guidance from the CDC and the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The CDC has recommended masks be worn in counties with a “substantial” or “high” transmission of COVID. Worcester County has been designated a county of “substantial” transmission.

Worcester’s Department of Health and Human Services offers a number of Mobile Equity Vaccination Clinics, with no appointment required. For a list of upcoming clinics, visit www.worcesterma.gov.