Mask requirement remains in effect at City of Rochester, Olmsted County facilities

In response to the latest federal guidance, Olmsted County and the City of Rochester will continue to require masks inside government buildings.

Last Friday, the CDC outlined a new Covid-19 classification system that shifts the focus from case rates to hospitalizations. Individuals who live in areas classified as “low” or “medium” risk — about 70 percent of all Americans — can stop wearing masks in public, the agency said.

Olmsted County (and much of southeast Minnesota), however, remains classified as an area with a “high” level of transmission, per the new metrics. In such areas, the CDC recommends individuals continue to wear masks in indoor public settings, regardless of vaccination status.

The latest CDC numbers show Olmsted County reporting 365 new cases, or 230 per 100,000 people, during the latest seven-day period ending on Saturday. Covid-related hospitalizations dropped by 32 percent week-to-week to about 30 cases per 100,000 people.

To move into the “medium” risk level, the threshold in which the CDC says people can take a break from wearing masks, Olmsted County would need to drop below case and hospitalization rates of 200 and 20, respectively.

Based on modeling from Mayo Clinic, Olmsted County could begin to see numbers fall below the case threshold within the next week.

In a joint news release, city and county officials said they would continue to monitor the CDC data and make adjustments accordingly.

“The good news is that our county’s numbers are trending downward, and we are anticipating a change in Olmsted County’s classification soon,” said Olmsted County Administrator Heidi Welsch. “We will continue to closely monitor the CDC’s classification of our community and communicate any changes to masking requirements when applicable.”

In addition to city and county buildings, masks continue to be required in all Rochester public school facilities. Earlier this month, Rochester Public Schools Superintendent Kent Pekel said the district is “actively looking at criteria for making masks recommended but optional” inside schools.

Sean Baker is a Rochester journalist and the founder of Med City Beat.