Madison Reporter

Public Health Madison and Dane County has extended the existing mask requirement until Nov. 5, according to a press release.

The mandate, which goes into effect on Oct. 8, requires that everyone over the age of two wear a mask indoors due to concerns regarding the COVID-19 delta variant.

"#MaskUpMadison! @PublicHealthMDC recently extended the mask order to Nov. 5 due to high levels of community transmission. Please #GetVaccinated and help #StoptheSpread," Madison Mayor, Satya Rhodes-Conway stated on Twitter.

This new mask requirement is an extension of an August mandate that went into effect just after an announcement that municipal and county personnel must be vaccinated or tested for COVID on a weekly basis, according to a report by NBC15.

“Vaccination is our top intervention, and we’re seeing an impact from our high rates. As we’ve done all along with our layered mitigation approach, we’ll keep masks as an extra layer of protection as we navigate our way to lower levels of CDC’s community transmission thresholds,” Janel Heinrich, director of Public Health Madison and Dane County, stated.

Currently, Dane County's immunization rate is higher than the state of Wisconsin, with 84.9 % of residents who are eligible to get the vaccine having received at least one dose, according to data provided by the Wisconsin Department of Health Services.

Only 68% of Wisconsin residents aged 18 and older have received at least one dose of the vaccine so far.