As omicron fades, many communities are easing mask mandates. Why not Minneapolis and St. Paul?

Feb 22, 20220

Jeff Wheeler, Star Tribune file count

Brent Hanson and bartender Justin Fowler visited at Dusty's Bar in northeast Minneapolis on Jan. 6, 2022, after the mask mandate went into effect in the city. While other communities have since ended their mandates, Minneapolis and St. Paul have not.

It's been more than six weeks since the Twin Cities reinstated indoor mask mandates amid a surge of COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant.

Since then, the mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul have said they are monitoring promising trends as they consider whether to rescind the requirements, as they did last summer after a large percentage of the community received COVID-19 vaccinations.

Some other governments - at the local, state and national levels - have already rolled back mask mandates as the omicron wave recedes. Minneapolis and St. Paul have not. Here's what we know about the Twin Cities' masking requirements:

https://www.startribune.com/covid-omicron-mn-fades-communities-easing-mask-mandates-why-not-minneapolis-and-st-paul/600149160/