Rochester mask mandate expires, though face coverings still required in city facilities
Rochester’s Covid-19 mask mandate is no longer in effect, city officials said Friday; however, the city will continue to require face coverings at city-operated facilities.
In a statement published Friday, the city said the statewide mask mandate put in place in late July 2020 superseded the city-wide mandate issued two weeks prior — therefore, when Gov. Walz announced the state mandate would lift Friday, Rochester’s mandate expired as well. Any new mask mandate would have to be approved by the City Council.
In an interview Friday, Mayor Kim Norton said a future mask mandate was not out of the question, but that there were no plans to immediately pursue putting one in place, adding the timing of the CDC’s announcement — days after Gov. Walz had announced a plan to lift the mask mandate by July 1 — had thrown local and statewide leaders into disarray.
“This was literally sprung on all of us, including the governor, I think,” said Norton. “I’m disappointed that he changed his plan, and I’ve been clear — I think he could have stuck with his original plan and given people more time to get that second dose.”
Rochester joins other midsize Minnesotan cities like Duluth in letting their mandates lapse. Minneapolis and St. Paul — the only two cities in Minnesota larger than Rochester — have said they will work to keep indoor masking requirements in place.
Friday’s news does not mean the entire city is a no-mask zone, however — face coverings will still be required inside city buildings and on public transportation. Mayo Clinic’s mask requirement also remains in effect.
While the public transportation and school guidelines are decided on the federal and state levels, respectively, Mayor Norton said the mask mandate inside city buildings would likely not last through the summer.
“We just want to provide enough time lag to make sure every [city] employee is vaccinated and that the two-week time lag has occurred,” said Norton. “I’m anticipating in the next several weeks, we’ll be able to move to what we’re hearing from the CDC — that if you’re vaccinated, you can take your mask off.”
According to Walz, private businesses will be allowed to choose whether or not to require masks inside their storefronts — national retailers like Target and Home Depot have already said customers will still be required to wear masks inside its stores. Others will let vaccinated shoppers roam mask-free, although it’s unclear how they would be identified.
Olmsted County Public Health reported 112 new Covid-19 cases this week — the lowest number since February, but still enough to keep Rochester’s Covid risk dial at “high.”
Still, Norton cited the level of vaccination inside Rochester city limits — 85 percent of residents 16+ have had at least one dose, and 75 percent are fully vaccinated — as evidence that a new mask mandate would be unlikely.
“With our high vaccination rates, once everyone is fully vaccinated and gets that two weeks under their belt, we’re in a really good position. We really are,” said Norton.
Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.
