Three more Minnesota cities on Monday passed ordinances requiring the use of face masks in public places to help slow the spread of COVID-19 — Roseville, St. Cloud and Bemidji.
Also on Monday, the Metropolitan Airports Commission passed a regulation requiring masks at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
As state leaders have not imposed a statewide mask mandate, officials in scores of municipalities are taking it upon themselves to enact such measures. More than a dozen cities have rules requiring masks, including Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Minnetonka, Rochester, Winona, Mankato, White Bear Lake and Blaine.
Several schools, including the University of Minnesota campuses in the Twin Cities, Crookston, Duluth, Rochester and Morris, also have set measures. Many businesses have also instituted masking rules.
In Roseville, where the new mask requirement goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. Monday, anybody in an indoor area accessible to the public must wear a mask. That includes city office buildings, bars and restaurants, and when in hallways, corridors, lobbies, restrooms and mail rooms in apartment buildings and commercial buildings with multiple tenants. The rules also require masks be worn when using public transportation.
In St. Cloud, a resolution passed Monday night takes effect immediately and requires anybody to wear a mask when in a "space of public accommodation." Violators could be tagged with a $250 fine.
Masks are now required in Bemidji for anybody 5 or older when in indoor public spaces, including businesses and in city, state and federal facilities. Violators could be cited with a misdemeanor, which could include a $1,000 fine, 90 days in jail or both.
