The Twin Cities will once again carry mask mandates for all staff and visitors in city-owned buildings. The announcement came from both Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter in a press release.
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On Tuesday, the two mayors issued new masking guidance for indoor spaces in the Twin Cities, citing the data emerging around the Delta variant's high rate of transmission among both vaccinated and unvaccinated residents.
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The mayors are following recommendations from the Center for Disease Control, which has encouraged everyone to resume masking while they are indoors.
"Get vaccinated," said Frey. "Getting the vaccine will help protect you and your neighbors from a deadly virus, and it is the single most important action we can all take to curb the need for further restrictions."
"This pandemic is far from over," said Carter. "These measures will help protect us as we continue our work to get our entire community vaccinated."
Current guidance from the CDC says that fully vaccinated people wearing masks indoors in areas where cases are substantial or high, 50-100 cases per 100,000 residents or 100+ cases per 100,000 residents, will help stop the spread of transmission.
Minneapolis is experiencing a 7-day case rate of 78.6 new Covid-19 cases per 100,000 people. This places the city in the substantial transmission category. Health experts expect the number to continue to rise.
Minneapolis Health Department Officials and city leaders plan to revisit the recommendation in the coming weeks. Their decision will be affected by transmission rates, hospitalizations, deaths, and increasing vaccination rates throughout the region.
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Businesses across the state and some counties have also brought back masks as they continue to monitor cases throughout their regions.
Frey and Carter are looking into options regarding a vaccine requirement for city employees, a press release said,
The current policy for Minneapolis City Buildings and Staff is as follows: "Effective August 4, 2021, any individual who is over age two and able to medically tolerate a face-covering shall be required to cover their nose and mouth with a mask or cloth face-covering in accordance with CDC guidance when inside all buildings and facilities owned or operated by the City of Minneapolis, including Minneapolis City Hall, regardless of vaccination status."