After pushback, a mask flip flop in one South Shore town

KINGSTON, Mass. — A3 is a popular pizza place in Kingston. Manager and chef Matt Dinan remembers the impact of COVID shutdowns

“We suffered immensely. Both us and our other restaurant, Solstice, yeah it hurt,” Dinan said.

They are thriving again. But when a new mask mandate was issued in town last Monday, they feared the worst. Kingston’s Board of Health told Boston 25 that with COVD numbers climbing, they acted to protect the public.

The mask mandate went into effect Monday at 8 a.m. and meant everyone had to wear a mask in any business in town. But it only lasted 12 hours.

“A mask mandate was proposed by one of the members and by majority vote it passed that night,” said Joe Casna, the chair of the Kingston Board of Health.

There was so much pushback from residents and business owners that the Board of Health revised the order, no longer requiring a mask but making wearing one a suggestion.

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“We may have overreached initially; it got an awful lot of feedback. It certainly got the community talking. We hope moving forward that this will work,” Casna said.

People across town seem to agree.

“I think it’s a good idea. I think it should be up to local businesses and what they choose to do,” said Kristine Palmer of Kingston.

But not everyone feels that way. Kim Goggin believes masks in public work and for good reason.

“A friend just recently passed who was vaccinated. It made it more real,” Goggin said.

Back at A3 they’re glad to see masks are optional once again.

“I think it should be up to people if they want to wear a mask or not,” Dinan said.

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