Grand Forks County Health Officer Joel Walz has rescinded the Health Officer Pandemic Mitigation Order mandating face coverings to be worn in all public places where a person is in the presence of non-household members and where physical distancing cannot be maintained, for all residents within Grand Forks County. This order will go into effect immediately today, Monday, March 8th.
“I am extremely pleased with the trajectory our community is on. The continued success of our distribution of COVID-19 vaccine and the low virus prevalence in our community led to this data-driven decision,” said Dr. Walz. “Lifting the mask mandate removes the enforcement mechanism, but in no way diminishes the usefulness of masking as an additional tool to mitigate COVID-19.”
The rescinding order comes as the positivity rate and active cases in Grand Forks County have improved dramatically. Over 75% of the County’s 65+ population have received COVID-19 vaccinations. The risk level of the Grand Forks County Health Officer’s Dashboard has also maintained 14-days in the green “low” risk category.
“It is important to respect the right of businesses to set their own masking policies moving forward,” Mayor Brandon Bochenski emphasized. “I am grateful for reaching another milestone as we progress forward optimistically.”
Dr. Walz and Mayor Bochenski both reinforced their recommendation of mask usage when social distancing cannot be maintained and the importance of immunization as the strongest tools available for reducing Covid-19 infections.
This order will go into effect immediately today, Monday, March 8th.
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