BOSTON (WWLP) – Governor Baker says he has no plans to bring back a statewide mask mandate in Massachusetts despite the recent surge in COVID cases.

The Governor stressed on Monday that Massachusetts is in a “far different position” than at this time last year due to the availability of the vaccine, booster shots and testing. He said we have far more tools at our disposal to fight COVID, most importantly, a vaccine.

“The fundamentally best and most important way for people to keep themselves and their family members safe is to get vaccinated and if you’ve been vaccinated and if you’re eligible to get boosted, get boosted,” Baker said.

Governor Baker also announced a major COVID-19 testing initiative Monday. The state will be distributing over 2.1 million free COVID-19 rapid at-home tests to 102 communities across Massachusetts.