The COVID emergency is over. But is COVID?

May 10—It has been more than three years since then-Gov. Charlie Baker declared COVID-19 a public health emergency in Massachusetts. Now, that designation will end May 11. How is this going to affect North Shore residents?

Lynn Public Health Director Michele Desmarais said while COVID-19 is no longer a public health emergency, that does not mean it is gone.

"COVID will always be present with us and we have to learn to live with it the way that we live with the flu, the way that we live with colds," Desmarais said.

A statement from Mass General Brigham said all its facilities, including Salem Hospital, will now be treating COVID-19 the way many other respiratory viruses are treated.

Before Thursday, the City of Lynn offered vaccine clinics for residents. Those will no longer be provided.

Lynn will still offer free COVID-19 test kits, Desmarais said. Just like during the past three years, people can come pick up a kit at City Hall.

"I think it's important for people to realize that even though the emergency has ended, that COVID is still with us," she said. "So when you are feeling sick, it's important to still stay home, especially if you have a fever. Practice social distancing, wash your hands frequently, and wear a mask."

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health mask order will also be lifted, including in hospitals.

"Reflecting this, and in accordance with the end of the MDPH mask order effective May 12, 2023, Mass General Brigham, along with many other facilities across Massachusetts and New Hampshire, will end universal masking at all our hospitals, clinics, other facilities and programs," the statement from Mass General Brigham said.

In lieu of the mask order ending, public health advocates want health facilities to create their own mask mandates.

"The end of universal masking policies in health-care settings will put those seeking medical care who are already more vulnerable — people with respiratory diseases or cancer, people with disabilities, and older adults — at risk of contracting COVID and other potentially life-threatening illnesses," Carlene Pavlos, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Health Association, said.

Mass General Brigham will reinstate a mask mandate in the future if public health and infection control experts guide them to do so, according to its statement.

Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition Executive Director Elizabeth Sweet noted that immigrant communities in particular were hit hard by COVID-19, as many immigrants are frontline workers in hospitals.

"Universal masking has literally saved lives," Sweet said. "Lifting the mask mandate flies in the face of all the accolades and appreciations bestowed upon these 'heroes among us.' It's a chilling reminder of how the contributions of immigrants in our workplaces, our health care settings, and our neighborhoods are routinely overlooked and ignored. Going 'back to normal' is unacceptable."

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