SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. — People are no longer required to wear a mask inside Scottsdale city buildings after updated recommendations for fully vaccinated people from the Centers for Disease Control on Thursday.
Mayor David D. Ortega dropped his January 13 emergency order that required masks indoors, but he says wearing one is still encouraged.
The CDC says the recommendation only applies to people who are fully vaccinated.
The guidance still calls for wearing masks in crowded indoor settings like buses, planes, hospitals, prisons and homeless shelters, but it will help clear the way for reopening workplaces, schools and other venues — even removing the need for social distancing for those who are fully vaccinated.
Masks have always been cited as an effective way to limit the spread of COVID-19, which is primarily spread through coughs and sneezes.
Private businesses still have the right to enforce masks on their property.
Gov. Doug Ducey dropped statewide COVID-19 restrictions in March, but some cities like Phoenix and Tucson maintained public mask requirements in defiance of his order.
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