Madison and Dane County have extended the local emergency order requiring face masks until Jan. 3, the health department announced on Tuesday.
The new order, Emergency Order No. 5, will replace the current emergency order on Nov. 27. Similar to Public Health Madison & Dane County's previous emergency order, it requires face coverings for individuals above the age of two “in any enclosed space open to the public where other people, except for members of the person’s household or living unit are present [and when] driving or riding in any form of public transportation.”
The previous order was set to expire on Nov. 27. PHMDC previously stated that they would not renew the order after its expiration.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison has already extended its face mask mandate until Jan. 15. Its previous mandate was set to expire on Nov. 27.
PHMDC again cited a high level of community transmission for the extension. According to the emergency order, Dane County remains in the Center for Disease Control’s high level of community transmission.
“The landscape of COVID continues to evolve, and we are at a point in this pandemic where it’s likely that COVID will keep spreading in our communities for years, like the flu does; cases may go up and down, but will never completely go away,” said Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway. “Vaccines are the best tool we have to prevent COVID illness and severe outcomes, but masks, physical distancing and other tools provide an added layer of protection.”
The new order will be in effect from Nov. 27 to Jan. 3.
