Starting Monday, Aug. 9, face coverings will be required inside public town buildings as announced on Aug. 4 by the Brookline Department of Public Health (BDPH).

A press release explained this policy is in response to rising COVID-19 cases in the town amidst the ascent of the Delta variant, which accounted for 93 percent of COVID-19 cases across the country as of July 31 according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

According to the release, there are more COVID-19 infections in the town every week than there were one year ago.

This policy will apply to all members of the public. Town staff will be obligated to wear face coverings in town buildings during encounters with members of the public and when they are in common areas such as “elevators, hallways, and shared office spaces.”

Co-Chair of Expert Advisory Panel 4: Public Health, Safety, and Logistics David Gacioch said the majority of current COVID-19 infections in Brookline are likely from the Delta variant.

“The Delta variant appears to be significantly easier to transmit than Alpha and prior variants. It’s a lot easier, it seems, to contract, particularly if you’re not vaccinated,” Gacoich said.

The BDPH continues to encourage citizens to get vaccinated, especially for protection against the Delta variant.

As the panel recommends the Public Schools of Brookline (PSB) on safety protocols for the upcoming school year, Gacioch said that the Expert Advisory Panel 4 will be reflecting on vaccination rates in the town and the prevalence of COVID-19 cases from the Delta variant.

“What we are trying to do in the schools’ context is to find the best mix of mitigation measures,” Gacioch said. “{Those} will be the ones that we’re all familiar with: masks, enhanced ventilation, plus encouragement of as widespread vaccination as we can to keep the risk of in-school transmission low and to hopefully keep community transmission as low as we can.”