NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WTNH) — As several cities and towns across the state reinstate their mask mandates, a Yale doctor is pushing for the governor to reinstate a statewide indoor mask mandate.
“I’m not so sure that the general public really sees how terrible it all is,” said Dr. Mark Siegel.
Siegel is becoming a voice for fellow doctors and his own medical staff as more and more people continue to test positive for variants of the coronavirus.
He created a petition that has already garnered more than 500 signatures in the last three days.
“My hope is that by sharing the concerns that I and colleagues of mine have as physicians, that he will take some action to halt the surge,” Siegel said.
In the petition, Siegel writes:
“Dear Governor Lamont, COVID numbers rising rapidly in Connecticut, and we face yet another crisis of capacity and staffing and most importantly, the risk of needless, preventable suffering. We call on you to provide a strong, clear message, telling Connecticut residents what we must do to save lives…”
His recommendations include:
- A mask mandate in all indoor venues
- Require restaurants to confirm proof of vaccination from customers
- Encourage all eligible residents to be fully vaccinated, including a third shot
- Do everything in your power to provide free or low cost rapid COVID testing for all Connecticut residents
“It’s all compounded by the fact that it’s so unnecessary. If people did the right thing, we would bring this pandemic under control,” Siegel said.
News 8 reached out to the governor who as recently as this week said he is still leaving mask mandates up to towns and municipalities. We’ve yet to hear back.