Well, sometimes it seems like we take one step forward, just to be pushed back two steps again and again. After an invigorating period of relaxed guidelines for unmasked gatherings indoors, it looks like we’ll have to raise our guards once more as we deal with another unwanted surge in COVID cases in our area.

News that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised the COVID-19 Community Level for all of Middlesex County including Somerville to HIGH last week has thrown us a nasty curve for the time being.

According to the city, high-quality masks should be worn indoors in public places for as long as the level remains high, and everyone should be current with their vaccination/booster status.

It is also highly recommended for anyone who has symptoms to get tested. Additionally, it is important to stay home if you feel sick – barring the need for medical attention, of course.

Anyone can pick up high-quality KN95 masks for free at all three Somerville Libraries and at City Hall. Free N95 masks provided by the federal government are also available at participating pharmacies throughout the city. The CDC provides a free mask lookup tool at https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/your-health/free-masks.html.

The city has many resources and info available at https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/programs/coronavirus-covid-19-information-and-resources.

It may be a pain, but it’s up to us to do our part to stay safe, for ourselves and others.