ROCHESTER — On Wednesday, Aug. 25, the Rochester Board of Health rescinded a decision that would have required masks to be worn in Rochester municipal buildings after one of the board members had a change of heart.

The mandate originally passed on a 2-1 vote but Board Member David Souza said he went home after initially voting to approve the masking requirement and rethought his position.

“I’m the biggest preacher of not dictating to others what they should do” if they can make the decision for themselves, he said, adding, “I didn’t practice what I preach.”

Souza emphasized that he wants everyone to be protected but that he doesn’t think “masks are the way to do it.”

Board Member Glenn Lawrence, who voted against the mask requirement originally, said that it’s not the board’s job to dictate to the town of Rochester but to “give them all the information we possibly can so they can make their own decisions.”

The board distributed an official statement on the decision explaining that it chose to rescind the initial mandate “in an effort to arrive at a more coordinated approach both in Rochester within town buildings and retail/commercial establishments and in the tri-town area generally.”

However, the statement also acknowledged that the town has had “the highest transmission rate in Plymouth County” since July 29.

And while Mattapoisett, which has a significantly higher vaccination rate than Rochester, has taken a similar approach in looking to state officials for guidance on mask requirements, Marion did reenact a mask mandate for municipal buildings on Aug. 23.

The Rochester Board of Health expressed its concern over low vaccination rates in the town, especially among the 12- to 35-year-old age groups. The group announced that a vaccine clinic with the Southcoast Mobil Van will be held in the Plumb Corner Mall parking lot on Sept. 8 and 29.