MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter are ending the indoor face mask requirements for public areas in their respective cities effective immediately.
“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 a statement.
Frey cited steadily dropping COVID-19 case rates in Minneapolis and a 7-day case rate of 135 per 100,000 people as support for ending the mask mandate, which had been in place since Jan. 5, 2022.
Carter pointed to a 56.36% decrease in COVID-19 cases and 14.7% decline in new hospitalizations in Ramsey County as evidence for lifting the mandate in his city.
For nearly two months, masks had been required in public places like bars, restaurants, museums, theaters, schools, recreational facilities, retail locations, and service offices.
However, individual businesses can still require face coverings.
In both Minneapolis and St. Paul, masks are still required for city employees in city-managed buildings, and visitors to those locations will still have to mask up.
On Wednesday, both Washington and Dakota Counties announced an end to their local face mask requirements. In Washington County, "masks will no longer be required" in county buildings starting Feb. 28. City officials said the change is being made "in light of the fact that more than 83% of our employee population is fully vaccinated, that COVID positive cases in our area are declining."
Starting March 1, guests and county employees will not be required to wear face masks in Dakota County buildings.
In St. Louis Park, an emergency ordinance requiring face coverings in public expired Tuesday, and retailers like Minneapolis-based Target and Walmart just announced they're rolling back their in-store face covering requirements.
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