Effective on June 2, Public Health Madison & Dane County (PHMDC) will lift all public health orders, including mask requirements, and gathering and capacity limits, according to a press release issued Tuesday.
“Today I applaud the 63% of Dane County residents who have gotten vaccinated. This extremely high number allows us to make the decision today to lift our orders on June 2 when we estimate that 75% of those eligible for vaccine will have received their first dose,” PHMDC Director Janel Heinrich said in a statement. “Because not everyone is able to get vaccinated, particularly our kids younger than 12, even after the orders expire, unvaccinated people should continue to wear masks in public spaces.”
When the orders expire on June 2, masking requirements will become recommendations and individual businesses and organizations may choose to enforce their own policies.
“There may be people and businesses out there who still want mask policies in place after the orders end as masks still provide an additional layer of protection,” Dane County Executive Joe Parisi said in a statement. “We recommend that businesses take this time to consider next steps, while reminding patrons of the current order which remains in place.”
In just six days since Dane County’s 12-15-year-olds became eligible to receive Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine, 16.4% have received their first dose of vaccine, PHMDC said. 53.5% of Dane County residents are fully vaccinated.
“This two-week window gives 12-15-year-olds more time to get vaccinated before all orders are lifted,” said Satya Rhodes-Conway, City of Madison Mayor. “I encourage all vaccinators, not just Public Health, to continue to prioritize vaccine equity and continue to outreach to and visit those communities who have been most affected by COVID-19.”
After June 2, Public Health Madison & Dane County strongly recommends that school and youth settings continue to require masks in indoor settings, as outlined in the latest CDC guidance.
“Dane County has put in the work, and now we are going to start seeing the benefits. The pandemic isn’t over, but we are getting closer to normal thanks to the sacrifices we have all made in the past year. We have saved lives in this county by following public health orders, and now getting vaccinated. We should all be proud,” Board of Health Chair Jerry Halverson said in a statement.
