Masks no longer required in Rochester, Olmsted County buildings

As Covid-19 activity continues to decline, Olmsted County and the City of Rochester will no require masks inside government buildings.

In a joint announcement on Thursday, the city and county stated they will still welcome the use of masks in buildings for whoever wishes to wear them, and continues to encourage unvaccinated and immunocompromised individuals wear face coverings while indoors.

The lifting of the mask requirement followed an update from the CDC showing Olmsted County had moved from a “high” level of Covid-19 to a “medium” level. (Earlier this week, the county met the threshold for “low.” While overall case numbers continue to drop, hospitalizations ticked up slightly, triggering the transition from “low” to “medium.”)

“The news of Olmsted County dropping to ‘Medium’ on the CDC’s COVID-19 Community Level tracker ushers us into a new, more optimistic, and welcomed phase of the pandemic where we no longer require masks to be worn inside our facilities,” City Administrator Alison Zelms said in a prepared statement. “We understand that many in our community will continue masking and they are welcome to do so in all of our buildings.”

Despite the updated policy, masks continue to be required on Rochester Public Transit buses. Additionally, private businesses still retain the right to require customers to wear masks inside stores and facilities. Hospitals, including Mayo Clinic and Olmsted Medical Center, also require masks.

The decision from Olmsted County/Rochester followed announcements earlier in the day from St. Paul and Minneapolis ending mask mandates.

Cover photo: File / Licensed via Canva