Pima County officials vote against extending mask mandate set to expire at end of February

PHOENIX — The Pima County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday voted against extending a mask mandate that is set to expire on Feb. 28.

The measure requires people to wear face masks indoors when physical distancing of at least 6 feet is not possible.

Acting County Administrator Jan Lesher had recommended keeping the mandate in place through March 28, but that resolution failed by a vote of 3-2.

Masks will still be required in county buildings.

The county passed the measure in December due to a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases from the omicron variant.

The measure was passed hours after Gov. Doug Ducey tweeted that mask mandates can’t be enforced in Arizona. Ducey instead promoted vaccines as the best tool against the virus and said mask usage should be a personal choice.

Lesher at the time admitted state law would make enforcing the mask mandate difficult but it would be worth it to curb the spread of the virus as hospitalizations rose.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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