The next round in the fight over mask mandates in St. Louis County is set for Tuesday morning.
A preliminary injunction hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m.
This comes nearly three weeks after a judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order that would have paused the most recent mask mandate in the county.
The new mask policy passed by the St. Louis County Council on Jan. 4, requires everyone 5 and older to wear a mask inside public spaces. The mandate does not apply to people who are eating or drinking or people alone in separate rooms or offices of public places.
Hours after the mandate went into effect, Attorney General Eric Schmitt filed a lawsuit, calling the order illegal and saying "Under the new state law governing the authority of local political subdivisions to issue health orders, the January 5 mask mandate is a prohibited order."
St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page has been a constant proponent of masks. Shortly after the county council voted 4-3 to enact a mandate, he tweeted "Masks aren’t restrictions. They are the path to more freedom to move about, stay healthy and look with optimism to the future."