City Of Des Moines: Face Coverings No Longer Required In City Buildings

Des Moines IA

01 March, 2022

5:40 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Des Moines: February 28, 2022 Face coverings will no longer be required in Des Moines City buildings. City Manager Scott Sanders announced the change today after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) relaxed mask guidelines for communities and lowered the risk category for Polk County. "We are lifting the mask requirement because of the "low" risk level that CDC has designated to Polk County, however, we still ask residents and employees to stay at home if they are sick or experiencing symptoms related to COVID-19," Sanders said. Last week, the CDC released COVID-19 Community Levels – a new tool to help communities decide what prevention steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area. CDC's new interactive map places Polk County's COVID-19 Community Level – and that of 42 other Iowa counites – at 'low.' The CDC lists 41 Iowa counties in the medium risk category with 15 designated in the 'high' category. Des Moines masking requirement for City buildings went into effect in August 2021. This press release was produced by the City of Des Moines. The views expressed here are the author's own.