As of Monday, all staff and visitors at East Hampton Town Hall and other town facilities will once again be asked to wear masks, whether vaccinated for Covid-19 or not.
A statement from Town Hall on Friday cited the Centers for Disease Control recommendation that all individuals in areas of high Covid transmission, such as Suffolk County, wear a mask while indoors. The highly infectious Delta variant of Covid-19 is responsible for most new infections of the virus and New York State has urged local governments to enact this policy.
“Even vaccinated individuals can contract and spread the Delta variant,” the town noted in its announcement on Friday.
Those feeling ill and having Covid symptoms -- such as fever, headache, dry cough, sore throat, chills, or shortness of breath -- have been asked to isolate from others, get tested, and quarantine if necessary.
The best defense is vaccination, according to the C.D.C., which can prevent severe illness, hospitalization, and death if one does get Covid and help prevent the virus from spreading and mutating into new strains that will present new risks.
Vaccines are now widely available for those 12 and up, with physicians' offices and pharmacies offering them, and Stony Brook Southampton Hospital operating a Pfizer vaccine clinic from noon to 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at Parrish Memorial Hall next to the hospital in Southampton. Appointments are not required. The Pfizer vaccine is approved for emergency use in people 12 and older. Information is at southampton.stonybrookmedicine.edu/COVID19Vaccinations.