Masks will now be required again indoor all Stamford buildings, Mayor David Martin announced today.

Martin says the mask mandate will go into effect Thursday at 8 a.m.

The mayor says all outdoor events in the city with 100 or more people will also require masks regardless of vaccination status.

The mayor says he hopes the new mandate will help prevent "super-spreader events."

Martin also says he and the director of health recommend the Stamford Board of Education enforce mandatory vaccines for all school staff and indoor mask-wearing for students come this fall.

He says the board of education has jurisdiction over the schools and that he cannot make the call to require masks or mandatory staff vaccinations.

The Connecticut General Assembly did not allow for a remote learning plan in the state of Connecticut this year, so Martin says more kids are expected to be back in school this fall.

Gov. Ned Lamont has given local municipalities the authority to create their own mandates when it comes to mask wearing and other COVID protocols. 

Last week, mask requirements were brought back for Stamford city employees only.

Martin says the new Delta variant requires double the protection so masks and vaccinations are needed.  

At Garden Catering on Main Street, the manager anticipates the return to wearing masks will be unwelcome news for some of his customers.

“Because it feels like we're going backwards, and it's going to be tough for us to say, ‘Hey, you have to wear your mask.’ And they might be rude or disrespectful about it,” he says.

Should there be any issues, the manager says they’ve got masks behind the counter for patrons without one.

“Nine times out of 10, that fixes the issue,” he says.