(City of Iowa City news release)
Mayor Bruce Teague has lifted the local mask mandate, but stresses that those who are not vaccinated from COVID-19 should continue to wear masks in public and adhere to social distancing recommendations.
Lifting of the local mandate comes after the latest CDC guidance announcing that those vaccinated do not need to wear masks when out in public.
Currently, people are considered fully vaccinated for COVID-19 two weeks after they have received the second dose in a 2-dose series (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) or two weeks after they have received a single-dose vaccine (Johnson & Johnson/Janssen).
Those who feel they should continue wearing masks are urged to keep doing so.
Residents should respect the policies of businesses, hospitals and medical facilities, and events that may require mask-wearing. The individual choices of residents to wear masks should also be respected, as many Iowa City residents wore masks in public before the City’s mask mandate.
CDC information
The latest CDC guidance includes a series of recommendations, including:
- Indoor and outdoor activities pose minimal risk to fully vaccinated people.
- Fully vaccinated people have a reduced risk of transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to unvaccinated people.
- Fully vaccinated people should still get tested if experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
- Fully vaccinated people should not visit private or public settings if they have tested positive for COVID-19 in the prior 10 days or are experiencing COVID-19 symptoms.
- Fully vaccinated people should continue to follow any applicable federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations.
K-12 facilities, events
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, about 50% of Johnson County residents are fully vaccinated. The largest population not yet vaccinated includes children and teens below the age of 16.
Due to a COVID-19 vaccine recently becoming available to those in the 12 to 16 year age group, the CDC and the City recommend that all facilities and events featuring a large K-12 audience should maintain their current mask-wearing and social distancing practices.
Transit
The CDC and Federal government still require that masks be warn on public transportation, including Iowa City-area buses. Those using City buses should continue to wear masks and maintain social distance when on the bus.
The City will continue to monitor local and national developments pertaining to COVID-19, and will rely on guidance from State and County public health officials and the CDC regarding face masks, social distancing, and other safety measures.
For more City COVID-19 information, please visit icgov.org/Coronavirus. If you have yet to obtain a COVID-19 vaccination, please call 211 for information on when and where a vaccination is available.