Masks Remain On Buses, In Schools After Milwaukee Ordinance Expires

MILWAUKEE, WI — The City of Milwaukee's mask mandate expired Tuesday as federal mask guidelines loosen and COVID-19 cases fall in Milwaukee County.

The ordinance, which required people ages 3 and up to wear a face covering when inside a public building, was set to expire March 1. The rule passed the Milwaukee Common Council on Jan. 18.

Milwaukeeans will still have to wear a face covering when using public transportation like Amtrak, the Milwaukee County Transit System and the Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport due to federal requirements. That policy will last until March 18.

Marquette University announced that its mask mandate would end on Wednesday in light of COVID-19 transmission declining, the university said in a statement.

The University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee still requires masks to be worn inside, but that requirement will be lifted March 18, the school's guidelines said.

University system interim president Tommy Thompson said that requirements at University of Wisconsin schools would be lifted as soon as March 1, as Wisconsin has had one of the fastest declines in coronavirus cases nationwide.

"High risk, essential service facilities" including the Milwaukee County Courthouse, House of Correction, County Jail facility, Behavioral Health Services Hospital, Youth Detention Center and Marcia Coggs Human Services Center will still require face coverings indoors, county executive spokesperson Brandon Weathersby told Patch.

County employees will be free to go without a mask in private spaces away from the members of the public, Weathersby added.

The seven-day average for new COVID-19 cases in Milwaukee County is 80 new cases per day, according to data from the Milwaukee County COVID-19 Surveillance Dashboard. On Monday, there were 402 new positive COVID-19 tests in Wisconsin, Department of Health Services data showed.

Dr. Ben Weston, the city's chief medical adviser, said he was "cautiously optimistic" on the low disease burden. However, variant BA.2 or "stealth omicron" was near the point of a rapid rise, according to federal data.

Around 70 percent of Americans were able to shed their masks while indoors after federal health officials loosened COVID-19 restrictions Friday.

See Also: CDC Updates COVID Mask Guidelines: What It Means In Wisconsin