Minneapolis Will Require Face Coverings Or Masks

MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey Thursday signed Emergency Regulation 2020-12, which will require people in the city to wear cloth face masks or coverings when they are in an indoor place of public accommodation, including grocery stores, recreation centers, hotels, retail businesses, the skyway system, and government buildings.

The emergency regulation will take effect on Tuesday, May 26.

"In Minneapolis we take our commitment to one another very seriously – it’s who we are as a people," said Frey in a statement.

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"With more commercial activity set to resume, it’s important that we right-size our approach to public health regulations given our city’s outsized footprint in the state. Wearing a cloth mask is not a substitute for the measures like safe physical distancing that have already helped us extend the curve, but it will help keep Minneapolis safer."

In the lead up to the May 26 effective date, Frey is encouraging Minneapolis businesses and residents to help boost public awareness by participating in the city’s social media campaign #MaskUpMPLS.

Medical research shows that wearing a mask can help reduce the risk of community spread of COVID-19, the mayor's office says. Research has also shown that people who are asymptomatic or yet to show signs of the virus can still transmit it without knowing they have contracted it.

Businesses will not be required to provide masks to customers or employees themselves, though employers will be required to mandate the use of masks by their staff.

The city will be launching a Memorial Day mask drive in the coming days to help get masks to those who need them before the regulation takes effect.

Non-compliance can be reported through 311, the city said in a news release.