A mask mandate has returned to Madison and Dane County after COVID-19 cases rise with delta variant. | Stock Photo at Getty Images
A mask mandate has returned to Madison and Dane County after COVID-19 cases rise with delta variant. | Stock Photo at Getty Images
A mask mandate has been issued in Madison and Dane County as COVID-19 case rise with the new delta variant.
Under an order effective Aug. 19, Public Health of Madison and Dane County is requiring that “everyone age two and older wear a face covering or mask when in any enclosed building where other people, except for members of the person’s own household or living unit, could be present,” the agency said in a news release. “This requirement applies to all of Dane County.”
The agency is also recommending that citizens wear masks at private gatherings or crowded outdoor settings and that they get vaccinated for the virus if eligible.
“As virus spread is fueled by the prevalence of the delta variant, it is clear that we need to use all of our tools to keep our community safe; and that means getting vaccinated and wearing masks,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in a statement.
The seven-day average number of cases has jumped from 19 on July 19 to 91.6 on Aug. 12, a 382% increase, the public health agency said.
“We still believe vaccines are our best tool to protect our community,” Janel Heinrich, director of Public Health Madison & Dane County, said in a statement. “But as cases continue to increase, requiring face coverings is an easy added layer of protection to further help keep people safe, including our youngest children not yet eligible to be vaccinated.”
The new mask order will be in effect until Sept. 16.
“Data show that the delta variant is more contagious and spreads more easily than the original COVID-19 virus, including among people that are vaccinated,” the health department said.
It is asking businesses to post signs reminding their customers about the new mandate.
Vaccines are still effective in preventing serious outcomes and illness from COVID-19, the agency said. Even with the Delta variant, vaccines are still highly effective in preventing severe outcomes from COVID, Public Health said. They are also effective in preventing infection “but less so,” with the delta variant, the agency said.
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