Gov. Walz says state will allow people to ditch their masks meant to slow the spread of COVID-19, an announcement that followed new federal recommendations on face coverings.
Walz signs the executive orders Friday ending the mask mandate he enacted by emergency authority in July.
State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says she had mixed feelings about the move.
She notes that the state is fourth highest in the country in COVID-19 growth and having 61 percent of the population fully vaccinated "is not nearly enough" to hold back the virus.
Malcolm said the good news is that the new CDC guidance shows that vaccinations are working.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey will keep the city's current mask policy, local regulation 2020-12, in place while public health data and local vaccination rates are reviewed.
Upon review, Frey will revisit the decision to maintain or lift the mask standard.
“The Minneapolis indoor mask requirement will stay in place while we review the data, consult our health experts, and analyze the unique circumstances and vaccination rates for our communities across our city,” said Frey “After such review we can reasonably project a timeline for lifting the requirement. That projection and final decision will follow the same health-based philosophy as when we first instituted the mask requirement a year ago. Minneapolis is nearing the end of this long journey, and our city is coming alive again - so we take this precaution to continue that consistent march in the right direction. There is good reason for hope in the Twin Cities.”
