Minneapolis, St. Paul Issue New Mask Guidance And Restrictions

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter issued new masking guidance and restrictions in a joint announcement Tuesday. Both mayors will now require masks for people in city-owned buildings and for all city staff.

The mayors are also encouraging everyone to resume masking when indoors, but are not requiring it through law.

The Centers for Disease Control now categorizes the counties that encompass the Twin Cities as areas with a "substantial" level of community transmission. Counties that have a "high" or substantial transmission should implement a mask mandate, according to the CDC.

"Get vaccinated," said Frey in a news release. "Getting the vaccine will help protect you and your neighbors from a deadly virus, and it is the single most important action we can all take to curb the need for further restrictions."

"This pandemic is far from over," said Carter. "These measures will help protect us as we continue our work to get our entire community vaccinated."

The new guidance and restrictions come as the highly infectious delta variant of the coronavirus brings a surge in new cases and hospitalizations across the nation. A slew of companies, universities and other institutions across Minnesota announced new mask and vaccine mandates recently.

Read more: Latest MN Vaccine And Mask Mandates: See Who's Requiring Them