Minneapolis and St. Paul lift mask mandates

The mayors of Minneapolis and St. Paul have lifted their cities' mask mandates, effective immediately.

State of play: Both mayors cited declining caseloads of COVID-19 in their communities.

• Ramsey County's cases have decreased by 56% over the past seven days and hospitalizations are down 15% in the same period, according to a press release from St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter.
• Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's office highlighted the city's 7-day new case rate of 135 per 100,000 individuals as well as declining positivity rates.
• The mask mandates had been in place since early January.

One exception: In both cities, masks will still be required for city-owned buildings.