Branson’s face mask ordinance will expire on Friday morning at 12:01 a.m.
The Branson Board of Alderman voted to move the end date because local vaccination rates are going up and because of a relatively flat trend for new cases of COVID-19.
The city is encouraging local businesses to mandate their own safety requirements for staff and customers.
Press Release
In a double read, the Branson Board of Aldermen unanimously voted in favor of an ordinance that would repeal Chapter 58 of the Branson Municipal Code pertaining to communicable diseases and face coverings that nullifies the required use of face coverings in public spaces, effective as of 12:01 a.m. Friday, April 16, 2021, at the regular Board of Aldermen meeting that was held on April 13, 2021.
Newly elected Branson Mayor, Larry Milton sponsored this ordinance because of the following:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has shown a significant decrease in weekly COVID-19 cases since late 2020 for Missouri and is forecasting a relatively flat trend of cases for the next four weeks.
As of April 8, 2021, 29.3% of Missouri, 23.3% of Stone County, and 19.7% of Taney County has initiated the COVID-19 vaccination.
The CDC has provided their Interim Public Health Recommendations for Fully
Vaccinated people, which relax the use of face coverings and physical distancing for those individuals that are fully vaccinated.
Read more in the full staff report and complete ordinance for this item by going to the Agendas & Minutes section of the City’s website and clicking on this item in the “HTML Agenda Packet” agenda for the April 13, 2021 Board of Aldermen Regular Meeting 2.
The City of Branson would like to encourage local businesses to mandate their own safety requirements for both staff and customers to include the CDC and the State of Missouri recommendations for COVID-19 prevention, which includes the use of face coverings, social distancing and frequent hand washing or sanitization. The City of Branson would also like to encourage residents and businesses to sign up to get a vaccine through the Taney County Health Department here: https://www.taneycohealth.org/covid19-vaccine or through your healthcare provider.
The Branson Board of Aldermen voted to mandate face coverings in public spaces on July 28, 2020, with the ordinance going into effect on July 31, 2020. The Board then voted to extend the face covering mandate on September 8, 2020, and again on October 13, 2020.
