Mask Wearing No Longer A Rule In Edmond

As of midnight Tuesday, masks are no longer required for entry to eat, shop or enter a government building in Edmond. 

It's a first for Commonplace Books, which opened in October.

"Mask mandates were always in place for the last several months as we've done business here in downtown Edmond so this is new territory," Commonplace Books owner Benjamin Nockles said.

For anyone looking to go out and about in Edmond, officials said to keep a mask handy because it's up to business owners to determine whether or not customers have to mask up.

"For the foreseeable future, we will continue to wear a mask in this space," said Nockles. "To us, it's not like a loaded issue. It's just a simple basic practice that we feel respects the most people."

Nockels saod he expects most customers will follow the lead of the people working inside when trying to decide if masks should be worn in a business.

"People tend to follow house rules without being required," Nockles said. "My kids know to take their shoes off in the garage before they come in the house. Why do they know to do that? Because I've taken my shoes off first." 

The positivity rate in Edmond has been below 5% for the last week; but health officials say one concern about the expired mandate is the people who traveled during spring break. Those effects won't be seen right away.

Even though there's no ordinance in place, officials said following CDC guidelines is a safe bet.

"That's obviously social distancing, frequent sanitization, and masks are encouraged. They are not mandated or required, but they are definitely still encouraged," City of Edmond spokesman Casey Moore said.

Edmond City Council members also decided to eliminate capacity limits as well.