Duluth lifts mask requirement for city facilities, citing decrease in COVID-19 numbers
Duluth will lift its mask mandate in city facilities as COVID-19 cases decrease in St. Louis County
The city announced Friday that staff and members of the public will no longer be required to wear masks inside city facilities, effective immediately.
The announcement comes as St. Louis County’s community transmission levels for COVID-19 have fallen from “high risk” to “medium risk,” according to guidelines from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to St. Louis County’s COVID-19 dashboard, the county’s seven day average for new cases was 57.9 as of Sunday.
After a spike in the winter, St. Louis County again saw an increase in cases in mid-May, with the seven day average of new cases peaking at 183 on May 10.
The CDC’s guidelines currently recommend that in medium risk counties like St. Louis County, people who are not at risk for severe illness due to COVID-19 do not need to wear masks indoors, while those who are should consult a medical professional about whether to wear a mask.
But medical experts still advise people wear masks particularly in heavily populated indoor spaces, with studies by the likes of the Mayo Clinic finding they're a useful tool in limiting the spread of COVID-19.
