(PHOENIX) The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released a recommendation earlier this week that suggested everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask in areas of high transmission for COVID-19. Several towns and cities have reinstated mandates for people to wear masks inside city-owned or municipal-owned buildings, azfamily reported.
Several Arizona counties, including Maricopa County, were listed in areas of "substantial" and "high" transmission, according to CDC data.
No county in Arizona was listed as being at "low" risk of transmission.
Gov. Doug Ducey signed an executive order earlier this year banning cities from issuing mask mandates. Cities, however, can issue requirements for masks for staff and visitors in city buildings much like any private business.
Here are the cities that have issued mask mandates and when the mandates go into effect:
- Tucson - Started Wednesday, July 28
- Peoria - Started Thursday, July 29
- Tempe - Starting Friday, July 30
- Flagstaff - Starting Friday, July 30
- Phoenix - Starting Monday, Aug. 2
Kathy Hoffman, superintendent of Public Instruction, called on Ducey to allow schools to continue the enforcement of mask mandates.
"Arizona does not allow mask mandates, vaccine mandates, vaccine passports or discrimination in schools based on who is or isn’t vaccinated. We’ve passed all of this into law, and it will not change," Ducey tweeted Tuesday.
Several major cities have also implemented mandates in response to the Delta variant of COVID-19.