MADISON (WKOW) -- Public Health Madison and Dane County is adding several exemptions and extending the county mask mandate.
The exemptions allow those engaging in a public performance to go maskless, so long as performers are distancing and vaccination standards are reached. It also extends the mandate, which was originally set to end on September 16, to October 8.
According to anews releasefrom PHMDC, people "performing a religious, political, media, educational, artistic, cultural, musical, or theatrical presentation" will be exempt from the indoor mask mandate, permitting social distancing.
“I appreciate the work our arts community has done to make sure that audiences and performers are vaccinated. Together, we can support our economy and culture while protecting public health,” Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway said in the release.
The order also adds an exemption for anyone playing a wind instrument with a fabric cover, which will act as a de facto face mask during performances.
This new order comes down with Delta variant case rates continuing to climb in Dane County, up to a daily average of 91.6 cases as of August 12. Hospitalizations for COVID-19 are also triple the levels in July.
“We highly encourage all performing arts to consider all the ways in which they can reduce disease transmission, especially as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread in Dane County,” PHMDC director Janel Heinrich said in the release.
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