Statement on the COVID-19 Omicron Variant

The following is a statement from Senate President Karen E. Spilka.

“We must act aggressively to mitigate the impact and spread of the new COVID-19 Omicron variant across Massachusetts and prioritize protecting our most vulnerable residents, workers, and communities disparately impacted by the pandemic. To do this, I believe it’s necessary to go beyond advisories and recommendations and apply a uniform, consistent approach to stopping the spread and saving lives. While I thank the Governor for his actions to date, today, I am calling on the Administration to reinstitute a statewide indoor public mask mandate, increase efforts to achieve vaccine equity and require proof of vaccination for most public indoor social venues. Additionally, when it comes to school safety, our COVID-19 pool testing practices should be provided on an opt-out, rather than opt-in, basis to better protect our students, teachers and staff. Many communities, businesses and school districts have already instituted these measures to help save lives and they should be applauded. However, time is of the essence and a patchwork strategy will not lead to a healthier, faster recovery for Massachusetts.”