Dakota County To Drop Mask Mandate Tuesday

DAKOTA COUNTY, MN — Dakota County announced on its website that beginning on Tuesday, masks would no longer be required in county buildings, citing declining COVID-19 cases and other local indicators.

The decision to reverse the mask mandate was made at a Dakota County Board meeting Tuesday, the county said.

Masks still may be required in vaccination clinics, the Juvenile Services Center and the Law Enforcement Center and will still be mandated in public areas of court facilities, the county said.

Masks will still be available for residents who would like to wear one, according to the county's website.

On Friday, Dakota County reported that it had seen 1,160 new cases last week. It reported 6 COVID-19 related deaths and 16 COVID-19 related hospitalizations.

The county said there were 17 adult and 14 pediatric Metro staffed ICU beds available last week.

Both Minneapolis and St. Paul reversed their vaccine mandates earlier this month, citing declining COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.

More information on COVID-19 in Dakota County is available here.