Delaware County Drops County Buildings COVID-19 Mask Mandate

The Delaware County Commissioners have rescinded the face mask mandate at county-owned buildings.  But as IPR’s Stephanie Wiechmann reports, individual county offices can still choose to keep the COVID-19 precaution in place.

After the state dropped its mask mandate in April, cities and counties had to decide whether to issue their own local orders.  Commissioners in Delaware County voted to keep requiring masks in county buildings.

On Monday, they dropped that requirement.  That’s after COVID vaccines became available to everyone 12 and older and new virus cases in Indiana dropped significantly.

But Republican Shannon Henry says commissioners know some offices want to keep requiring masks.

“However, if there is department heads that wish to require masks in their offices, they can put a sign up on their door stating a mask is required in their office.”

This move drops all blanket mask mandates in Delaware County outside of the Ball State University campus.  A state executive order still requires masks in all COVID-19 vaccination and testing clinics, state prisons and hospitals, and a few other individual locations.  It also requires masks in schools through June 30.  Individual private businesses and locations can continue to require masks if they choose.

A little less than 40 percent of Delaware County is fully vaccinated, according to the Indiana Department of Health.