Hartford Lifts Indoor Mask Mandate

Hartford is ending its indoor mask mandate in the city.

Mayor Luke Bronin announced Monday Hartford's indoor mask mandate has been lifted effective immediately.

Mayor Bronin cited lower COVID-19 case numbers and daily positivity rates.

"We have said from the very beginning that we would follow the data, that we would respond to the trends that we see," Bronin said. "As you know, we did not have a mask mandate over the summer, we imposed a citywide mask mandate in mid-August when we began to see that Delta variant surge and we saw cases rise quite significantly. Over the last four weeks, as we have tracked this data carefully, we have seen those numbers remain stable."

The mandate has been in effect since August 11. The measure required everyone to wear a mask while indoors with some exceptions, regardless of vaccination status.

The mayor said private businesses and employers can still require people to wear masks inside.

Today's action rescinds Bronin's executive order that went above and beyond state requirements. He said state mandates, including mask-wearing in schools, remain in effect.

Mayor Bronin said he will continue to monitor COVID-19 data and could reinstate the indoor mask mandate if cases begin to rise again.