Racine ending mask ordinance enforcement

RACINE, Wis. - Racine Mayor Cory Mason announced on Thursday, Feb. 24 that he signed an executive order suspending enforcement of the city’s facemask ordinance effective noon Thursday.

A full sunset of the ordinance will be sent to the Common Council for a vote at its regular meeting on Tuesday, March 1 at 7 p.m.  

Mayor Mason issued the following statement in a news release: 

"I have been in discussion with the Public Health Department for several weeks, monitoring the trend of the case rate of COVID-19 in our community. With the decline in cases, the Public Health Department is comfortable suspending enforcement on the City’s mask ordinance and recommend the ordinance be permitted to expire at next week’s meeting of the Common Council.

"This does not mean that the pandemic is over. We hope it is in serious decline, but that does not mean it does not still present a serious threat to health, especially if you are not vaccinated. Getting vaccinated and wearing a mask are still two highly recommended ways to mitigate your risk of getting sick from Covid. And while the ordinance may get repealed next Tuesday, that does not prevent individual businesses, schools, or organizations from requiring masks and I encourage everyone to continue to take precautions they feel are best to protect themselves and their loved ones."

SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News

Members of the public will not be required to wear masks in city buildings starting at noon Thursday. However, Racine employees will still be required to follow employee policies including masks and testing requirements. Internal staff policies are expected to be reviewed in coming weeks.