EAST LANSING, Mich. — At tonight’s East Lansing City Council meeting, a policy resolution was approved by the East Lansing City Council to end the requirement to wear face coverings in outdoor public spaces within the boundaries of the East Lansing Downtown Development Authority. The outdoor face covering requirement will end on Wednesday, May 12 at 12:01 a.m.
Council’s decision was made to align with updated guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which now states that fully vaccinated people can gather or conduct activities outdoors without wearing a mask except in certain crowded settings and venues. The decision also aligns with the most recent Gatherings and Face Mask Order from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which has lifted the mask requirement for outdoor gatherings of under 100 people. Additionally, Michigan State University announced yesterday that the requirement to wear masks outdoors on campus has been lifted in conjunction with the end of the outdoor mask requirement in downtown East Lansing.
“Taking into account the COVID-19 vaccine distribution progress in our state and recent guidance from the CDC and state, we do feel we are at a point where we can end the outdoor face covering requirement in the downtown,” said East Lansing Mayor Aaron Stephens. “We are, however, doing this with caution and will continue to monitor the situation and make decisions with the best interest of the community at heart.”
Community members are urged to continue to follow CDC guidance, even where not specifically required by an epidemic or local order. For people who are not yet fully vaccinated, that means masking up whenever around other people not from their household. Masks do continue to be required inside businesses per the MDHHS Gatherings and Face Mask Order and, at this time, masks will continue to be required at outdoor community events that draw large crowds, such as the East Lansing Farmers Market.
While the requirement to wear a face covering in outdoor public spaces in the DDA will end tomorrow, the policy resolution that East Lansing City Council approved tonight does extend the City of East Lansing’s State of Emergency through December 31, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. for the purpose of continuing to hold electronic meetings as circumstances warrant to protect the public’s health, safety and welfare, while also providing meaningful access and participation at public meetings. Electronic public meeting notices will continue to be published at www.cityofeastlansing.com/electronicmeetings.