MADISON (WKOW) -- Public Health Madison & Dane County announced Monday Dane County's mask mandate would be extended to February 1, 2022.
According to a news release from the health department, the new face coveringemergency order #6will begin on January 3, 2022, as the current order expires.
Public health officials attributed the extension of the mask mandate to high COVID-19 hospitalization rates and concerns over the new Omicron variant.
“As the state warns us of an Omicron surge that will overwhelm an already strained healthcare system, we must continue to equip ourselves in every way possible to slow the spread," said Janel Heinrich, the director of PHMDC.
The release also reported the Midwest, including Wisconsin and Dane County, is experiencing a surge in people testing positive for COVID-19. An average of 255 test positive every day in Dane County, the highest level of 2021.
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