(File Photo by Ralph Freso/Getty Images)
PHOENIX – Municipalities across Arizona, including Phoenix, are starting to mandate face masks in city buildings again in response to a change in federal COVID-19 mitigation guidelines and rising case numbers.
In May, the Phoenix City Council adopted a policy to automatically follow changes in Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidance on face coverings.
Based on new data about the rapid spread of the COVID-19 delta variant, the CDC now recommends that even vaccinated people return to wearing masks in public indoor settings in parts of the U.S. classified as having substantial or high transmission.
Thirteen of Arizona’s 15 counties, including Maricopa, home to nearly two-thirds of the state’s residents, fall into the substantial or high categories on the CDC’s map.
As a result, Phoenix will require all employees and visitors to wear face masks inside city facilities — including City Hall, libraries and community centers — starting Aug. 2, according to a press release.
Masks were already required on public transit and inside Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport under a federal mandate.
State law prohibits Arizona municipalities from imposing citywide mask mandates, but businesses, cities and towns are allowed to require face coverings in the buildings they operate.
Here’s a list of other Arizona municipalities that, like Phoenix, have announced plans to require face masks inside city facilities: