Over a month after it was put in place, Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced Thursday that both cities would be ending their mask mandates effective immediately.
The decision to drop the mask mandate comes as the nation continues to see a drop in COVID-19 infections, improving from the months-long surge due to the omicron variant.
The mandates had required patrons, employees, and visitors to wear a mask in areas of public accommodation, including bars, restaurants, museums, theaters, schools, recreational facilities, retail locations, and more.
The decision to drop the mask mandate comes a week after both cities announced the end of their COVID-19 vaccine requirements for bars, restaurants, and sporting events.
Minneapolis and St. Paul had put their mask mandates in place at the height of the omicron surge at the beginning of January. They will now follow suit with other cities and states nationwide to remove their mandates, like New York and Chicago.
In a press release, the city of St. Paul shared that COVID-19 cases are down 56.36% over the last week, with hospitalizations down 14.71%. Additionally, Minneapolis shared that test positivity rates are below the "high-risk threshold."
"Encouraging downward trends have improved our outlook significantly since January," Mayor Carter said in the release. "I urge our community to continue following public health guidance and keep our momentum going."
Both press releases said that in St. Paul and Minneapolis, masking mandates are still in place for city-controlled facilities as they continue to monitor COVID data within their counties.
"Today, the Twin Cities has good reason to be hopeful for the future, and I know that our residents will continue stepping up for one another as we navigate this next phase together," Frey said in the release. "While Minneapolis is experiencing a sustained downward trend in case and hospitalization rates, our public health team will continue closely monitoring relevant data – and that data will continue guiding policy decisions going forward."
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