With mask mandates ending, a local attorney spells out the legal ramifications

Connecticut Public Radio | By John Henry Smith

Published March 7, 2022 at 6:08 PM EST

COVID test kits and masks are handed out to Wallingford residents in the parking lot of the Oakdale Theater on January 4, 2022. The Wallingford Health Department held the Home Covid Test Kit and N-95 Mask distribution event along with the Wallingford Fire Department. The WPD assisted with distribution. One kit per car was allowed with proof of residency. — COVID-19 test kits and masks are handed out to Wallingford residents in the parking lot of the Oakdale Theatre on Jan. 4, 2022, amid the omicron variant surge.

Seeing people wear face masks has become commonplace during this pandemic. But as of Monday, not a single Connecticut city or town has a blanket mandate requiring people within its borders to wear masks. Joining "All Things Considered" to talk about what this means from a legal perspective was Pullman & Comley attorney Mark Sommaruga.

News

John Henry Smith

John Henry Smith is Connecticut Public’s host of All Things Considered, its flagship afternoon news program. He's proud to be a part of the team that won a regional Emmy Award for The Vote: A Connecticut Conversation. In his 21st year as a professional broadcaster, he’s covered both news and sports.

See stories by John Henry Smith

Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.

Donate

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

Federal funding is gone.

Donate

Connecticut Public’s journalism is made possible, in part by funding from Jeffrey Hoffman and Robert Jaeger.