Masks now required indoors in Madison, Dane County

MADISON — Dane County, which includes the City of Madison, issued a new order requiring masks while inside public buildings.

The order comes amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, including the contagious delta variant, in Wisconsin.

Dane County is the most vaccinated county in Wisconsin, with the state health department reporting 68 percent of residents fully vaccinated and 71 percent partially vaccinated. Meanwhile, the seven-day average number of COVID-19 cases per day stands at 61 in the county.

That's compared to 47 percent of residents fully vaccinated in Milwaukee County, and 52 percent partially vaccinated. The seven-day average number of cases per day is 196 in the county.

Milwaukee County's population is almost double that of Dane County.

In Milwaukee County, all fully vaccinated and unvaccinated workers or volunteers must wear a face mask while inside county facilities or inside other places where services are delivered. The City of Milwaukee has not reissued the previous order requiring city residents wear masks while in public, indoor areas. But the city strongly recommends residents wear masks in those situations. Mayor Tom Barrett has stated that his administration is not ruling out reissuing the mask order in the near future.

Dane County's new mask order requires everyone two years and older to wear a mask when inside a public building. “We still believe vaccines are our best tool to protect our community,” said Janel Heinrich, Director of Public Health Madison & Dane County in a statement Tuesday.

“But as cases continue to increase, requiring face coverings is an easy added layer of protection to further help keep people safe, including our youngest children not yet eligible to be vaccinated," said Heinrich.

Click here to view Dane County's mask order.

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