Pinellas County Rescinds Mask Mandate Following Governor's Order

PINELLAS COUNTY, FL — Following Gov. Ron DeSantis’ executive order, 21-102 announced in St. Petersburg Monday, Pinellas County has rescinded its mandatory mask ordinance and other coronavirus safety protocols at businesses and other public indoor locations.

DeSantis issued an order preempting the current coronavirus measures enacted by local governments around Florida, including the mandate to wear masks in public indoor spaces. That order goes into effect immediately.

At the same time, he signed Senate Bill 2006, approved last week, that limits the government's ability to impose mask requirements and social distancing that became the hallmark of the coronavirus pandemic at the direction of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The bill also prohibits so-called vaccine passports - a requirement that people prove they are vaccinated before being admitted to businesses and venues.

“I think this creates a structure that’s going to be a little bit more respectful of people’s businesses, jobs, schools and personal freedoms," DeSantis said.

The measure, however, does not prevent businesses from issuing their own coronavirus protections.

In accordance with DeSantis' announcement, Pinellas County Administrator Barry A. Burton issued a similar order rescinding the mandate to wear masks indoors, social distancing and capacity limits at businesses and the requirement to submit safety plans before scheduling large events.

Burton's announcement also means the Pinellas County Commission will no longer extend the county's state of emergency in effect since March 2020 and updated every seven days.

An agenda item for the county commission's May 11 meeting on rescinding the mask mandate has been canceled as well.

Like DeSantis' executive order, the Pinellas County order does not preclude businesses and other organizations from mandating face coverings and other safety protocols.

It also does not affect mask mandates and social distancing protocols at Pinellas County public schools through the end of the school year. The school district's update on the issue is here.

Pasco County rescinded its mask mandate and social distancing requirements April 5.

Hillsborough County has yet to act on the governor's measure. However, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor issued the following statement indicating that she has no plans to lift the mask ordinance in the city of Tampa until she gets the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's approval.

"The best decisions are made by local authorities who are closest to the unique health and welfare needs of our communities," Castor said. "We will continue to follow CDC guidelines and encourage all of our residents to get vaccinated so that we can safely return to a sense of normalcy."

The governor's decision to rescind coronavirus restrictions comes as the state marks 2,245,853 positive cases of the coronavirus since the pandemic was declared in March 2020. During that period, 35,307 Florida residents and 702 non-residents have died after contracting the virus.

The state's current positivity rate, according to the Florida Department of Health, is 6.14 percent. Of the 51,344 test results for the coronavirus received by the department Monday, 48,189 were negative and 3,155 were positive.

The total number of positive cases in Pinellas County since the pandemic began is 79,146 with 1,613 deaths. Out of 1,855 Pinellas County residents who received test results Monday, 70 were positive for the coronavirus. The county's current positivity rate is 3.77 percent.

In Hillsborough County, there have been 136,217 positive cases since the pandemic was declared with 1,713 deaths. Of 2,489 test results for Hillsborough County residents received by the DOH Monday, 207 were positive. Hillsborough County's current positivity rate is 8.32 percent.

Pasco County has had 40,984 positive cases of the coronavirus since March 2020 with 743 deaths. On Monday, the DOH received 2,489 tests from Pasco residents with 207 testing positive for the coronavirus. Pasco County's current positivity rate is 8.32 percent.

See related stories:

• Law Bans FL Vaccine Passports, DeSantis Suspends COVID Orders
• Pasco County Rescinds Executive Order Mandating Face Masks