Cedar Rapids Mayor Brad Hart has further eased the mask mandate in Cedar Rapids to align with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC announced on Thursday that fully vaccinated individuals can stop wearing their masks indoors. This guidance comes two weeks after the CDC issued recommendations that relaxed mask-wearing outdoors for fully vaccinated people.
A person is considered fully vaccinated two weeks after their final COVID-19 vaccination.
The updated language in the Cedar Rapids mask mandate applies to residents and visitors who are fully vaccinated.
“Any person who is fully vaccinated … may resume normal activities without masks or social distancing except where required by federal, state, or local, tribal or territorial laws, rules or regulations, including local business and workplace guidance,” according to the updated proclamation. “Fully vaccinated persons should continue to wear a mask in homeless shelters and correctional facilities.”
Cedar Rapids Transit and the Cedar Rapids Public Library will continue to require masks, according to a news release. Businesses within the city have the ability to require masks at their establishments, which the city encourages customers to follow.
As of Friday afternoon, just over 94,000 Linn County residents had completed their vaccine series, according to the Iowa Department of Public Health.
Linn County Public Health said that vaccine supply “has increased significantly” and is encouraging eligible individuals to get vaccinated. The Gazette reported earlier this week that the county has not taken its full allocation offered by IDPH for the past two weeks due to increased supply and decreasing demand.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden announced that Lyft and Uber will be partnering with the federal government to provide free rides to and from vaccination appointments. The program will begin in the final week of May and run through July 4.
