Effective Monday, August 2, 2021, the City Manager will once again require face coverings in all city of Phoenix facilities, regardless of vaccination status.
This includes Phoenix City Hall, libraries, and community centers. The policy change applies to employees, contractors and customers or visitors to city facilities.
In an announcement Tuesday, the CDC explained face coverings should be used indoors in public if you are in an area of substantial or high transmission. The updated guidance is due to a substantial increase in COVID-19 cases, particularly from the Delta variant and in communities across the country with low vaccination rates.
Maricopa County has shown a steady increase in the virus in recent weeks and current community spread benchmarks show the positivity rate remains in the high transmission category. The vaccination rate in Maricopa County is lagging the national average which is contributing to these benchmarks.
In May, the Phoenix City Council voted in favor of an ‘Amended Declaration of the Phoenix City Council Regarding Face Coverings’ to automatically adjust mask policies in accordance with current CDC guidance.
The Declaration specific notes that businesses may continue to set policies regarding face coverings for their employees and customers. The policy announced today only impacts city facilities. Businesses remain free to determine their own rules surrounding masking requirements.
City leaders will continue to monitor CDC guidance as well as local data to determine future policies surrounding COVID protocols.
Patrons at Sky Harbor Airport and all riders of public transit are required to wear masks as part of the Federal mask mandate.
The city of Phoenix urges eligible residents to get the COVID-19 vaccination. Maricopa County Public Health has information on vaccination sites across Phoenix, including free options for obtaining the COVID-19 vaccination.
