St. Louis City, County officials to require masks in some places on Monday

St. Louis city and county officials say they’ll require masks in some places starting Monday, citing a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases spurred by the delta variant.

Officials said in a news release on Friday that masks will be mandatory in indoor public places and on public transportation for everyone age 5 or older even for those who are vaccinated. Masking outdoors “will be strongly encouraged,” especially in group settings.

The decision comes as both of Missouri’s urban areas see a big uptick in COVID-19 hospitalizations that beganin rural areas of the state, especially southwestern Missouri.

Kansas City-area medical leaders may also call for a mask mandate.