IOWA CITY, Iowa – Mayor Bruce Teague lifted the local mask mandate on Tuesday but stressed 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).
City officials state those who feel they should continue wearing masks are urged to keep doing so.
Iowa City said that residents should respect the policies of businesses, hospitals and medical facilities, and events that may require mask-wearing. They also stated that 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.
According to the Iowa Department of Public Health, over 75,000 in Johnson County, approximately 50 percent of the population, has been fully vaccinated.
