Palm Beach County’s mask mandate is over

The face mask mandate that has been in place in Palm Beach County since April 13, 2020 is over, officials announced on Tuesday.

In the heels of Governor Ron DeSantis suspending all local emergency orders related to the pandemic yesterday, Palm Beach County Administrator Verdenia Baker told commissioners today that the county will follow the governor’s lead.

“We are going to follow the governor’s order and CDC guidelines,” Baker said. “The governor’s order has usurped our countywide mandate.”

Palm Beach County will still require employees and patrons to continue wearing masks to do business inside county buildings, and the Palm Beach County Property Appraiser’s Office and Tax Collector’s Office will also only conduct business with people wearing masks.

Local businesses are allowed to make their own decisions when it comes to face masks.

“Businesses can do what they want,” added Commissioner Maria Marino. “We are not telling businesses what to do. They are making the best decision for their employees and their staff.”

It’s not clear at this time if the mandate will end today, May 4, or if it will only end on July 1, when the Governor’s executive order to suspend all local COVID emergency mandates is set to begin.