JEFFERSON COUNTY, Mo. — The Jefferson County Health Department Board of Trustees voted Monday night to extend the county's mask mandate to Jan. 21.
The mandate went into effect on Nov. 27 at 12:01 a.m. and was set to expire at 5 p.m. Dec. 21. Under the mandate, those ages 10 and older must wear a mask when they are in contact with other people in public indoor spaces who aren't household members.
Board members Amber Henry and Tim Pigg and board chairman Dennis Diehl voted in favor of extending the mandate. Members James Prater and Suzy Davis voted against it. Prater and Davis also voted against enacting the mandate in November.
The county has had 15,663 confirmed COVID-19 cases since March 23, according to the health department's Monday update. There were 117 cases new cases reported on Sunday.
The health department reported nine new COVID-19 deaths on Dec.16, bringing the total number of deaths in the county to 120.
“The deaths reported this week are just starting to show the impact of the significant increase in community spread during the month of November,” Jefferson County Health Department Director Kelley Vollmar said in the update.
“I urge residents to stop considering the rise and fall of the daily numbers as a guide to whether or not to practice safe pandemic prevention practices. Recognize that these numbers represent people, with families that loved and lost them. That should be enough of a reason to continue, or start, doing your best to stop the spread of this disease in our community.”