ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Mo. — Mask mandates came to an end Monday in the state of Illinois and St. Louis County.
It comes at a time when CDC officials say more than 70% of the U.S. population lives in counties where the coronavirus is posing a low or medium threat to hospitals.
In St. Louis County, public health officials rescinded the mask order at 8 a.m. and in its place issued a public health advisory that encourages mask use.
Noting that as of Feb. 26, St. Louis County is now in the medium level of community transmission, the advisory outlines both community- and individual-level prevention strategies recommended by the CDC for communities at medium transmission levels.
"Because more than 1 in 3 residents of St. Louis County (37%) are not fully vaccinated as of February 26, very young children are not yet eligible for vaccination, and people at risk of severe disease (people with diabetes, cancer, heart disease, immunocompromising conditions, and others) live and work throughout our community, DPH still recommends wearing face coverings in indoor public settings," the mandate states.
St. Louis County Executive Sam Page discussed further details during a Monday morning briefing. Page said that people with symptoms, a positive test or exposure to COVID-19 should wear a mask. People who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe disease should talk to their health care provider about whether they should continue to wear a mask.
School districts and businesses can set their own guidelines, Page said.
"It's great that we're at this point," Page said. "Warmer weather is just around the corner, and we'll be able to attend more outdoor events, some that have been rescheduled or canceled because of the virus. And with more people vaccinated, more people are comfortable gathering. We saw that this weekend at the Mardi Gras celebrations."
Page said that the end of the omicron surge was something to celebrate, though it doesn't mean the end of the pandemic.
"But it is the end, hopefully for a very long time, of hospitals being pushed to capacities. Medical centers are breathing a sigh of relief while keeping a wary eye on the virus which continues to hospitalize people every day."
You can watch the full briefing in the video player below.
In a grocery store parking lot in Maplewood on Sunday, St. Louis resident Lisa White said, “I’m going to still wear my mask when I’m around others just to be on the safe side, and I feel that if you want to wear your mask, that’s your decision. If you don’t want to wear a mask, that’s up to you.”
Kenneth Randolph, of St. Louis County, said, “I think everybody can make their own decision. If you want to wear a mask, wear them. If you don’t want to wear them, don’t. Nobody’s making you do this; you’ve got your own freedom.”
In Illinois, Gov. J.B. Pritzker lifted the mandate for masks starting Monday as the numbers of new cases and hospitalizations fall. He intended that the requirement remain in effect for schools, where students and staff are more closely congregated, but other government action has invalidated that order.
Last month, a judge issued a temporary restraining order blocking the state from enforcing the mandate in schools. Gov. J.B. Pritzker appealed to the state supreme court, but that was denied, so the governor said he’s ending the mandate. Pritzker had already announced the state’s indoor mask mandate will end on Monday.
In Swansea, Sunday, Pam Pettijohn said, “I believed in the masks, but I think it’s time to let them go.”
Does that mean she will stop wearing a mask Monday?
“It depends on how crowded the place is where I’m going,” said Pettijohn. “I’m 67 and I feel like I still have to protect myself and others.”
Illinois resident Linda Andrews said, “I don’t know what to make of it. I don’t think we really know. It keeps going back and forth. I’m just trying to keep my mask to protect myself and my family.”
At a briefing, last week, St. Louis County Executive Sam Page discussed the possibility of having to put tighter mask restrictions back in place.
“We would need to see an extraordinary rise in cases again,” said Page. “We would need to hear the pandemic task force, the CDC and our public health department sounding the alarm. Right now, we don’t see anything like that in the future, but we’ll listen. We’ll watch. I believe and our health department believes we are past the worst of this.”