CITY OF KENOSHA — The Kenosha Common Council voted 14-3 Monday night to extend its mask mandate. Residents will have to wear their masks in public, indoor spaces until at least May 27, 2021.
The mandate was set to expire on March 31. The Council initially approved the mandate last November, just before the statewide mask mandate was set to expire, though Gov. Tony Evers extended the statewide mandate.
Gov. Evers' statewide mandate is now set to expire again in four days on March 20. He is expected to extend it again.
Kenosha's ordinancerequires people to wear masks in any building that is open to the public, as well as while waiting for or riding public transportation, taxes, private car services or ride-sharing vehicles.
All businesses and other groups must require both employees and customers to wear masks in a public space, where food is being prepared or distributed, and in any space where six feet of social distancing cannot be maintained.
There are some exceptions to the mask order: children five years or younger, people the CDC has concluded should not be wearing masks for health reasons, people with upper-respiratory chronic conditions, those who are hearing impaired, those who need to remove a mask for their job, people seated at a restaurant or other establishment while they are eating or drinking, places where federal or state law requires a person's face be identified, in a private office, people whose religious beliefs prevent them from wearing face masks, and while exclusively with members of your household, among other exceptions.
City of Kenosha police officers are authorized to enforce the mask mandate, according to the order.
Owners of businesses found guilty of not enforcing the order can be fined up to $500 plus the costs of prosecution.