A previously announced indoor mask mandate in the city of Worcester goes went into effect on Monday.The mandate was announced Friday as Worcester officials cited week-by-week increases in COVID-19 cases over the past 10 consecutive weeks with an average of 78 new cases per day.Dr. Michael Hirsh, the city's medical director, said Worcester's current situation is not nearly as bad as its previous COVID-19 surges, but he believes it still warrants the mask mandate.Hirsh attributes the increase in cases to Labor Day weekend activities and students returning to school."There will be a little bit of a grace period, I'm sure, but our Environmental Services Section, Division of Inspectional Services and our police folks are getting geared up to be monitoring this and we will be doing spot-checking," Hirsh told NewsCenter 5.In addition to the indoor mask mandate, Worcester officials issued a vaccine requirement for city employees. All city employees will be required to get vaccinated by Nov. 1 or submit to weekly COVID-19 testing.The latest moves by city officials are not without controversy or opposition. A group calling itself Health Heroes Against Medical Tyranny held a protest against mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policies on Saturday near UMass Memorial Medical Center's university campus.The mask mandate and vaccination policy are by emergency order and do need to be ratified by the city's Board of Health. The ratification meeting is set to take place Sept. 27, at which time there will be a public comment period.