Prince George’s County officials said Wednesday they are lifting the mask mandate for residents for most places starting Friday at 5 p.m.
Masks will still be required for health care and child care settings, schools and on public transport.
Health experts recommend those who are not vaccinated keep wearing their masks for their own safety.
“Given our vaccination rates and the current low rates of community spread we are seeing, our health advisers and health officials have advised us that it is safe for us to make this decision,” said County Executive Angela Alsobrooks at a news conference.
The COVID-19 positivity rate for the jurisdiction is now at 1.9%, the lowest since the start of the pandemic, Ms. Alsobrooks said. The county had a positivity rate of 5.5% in April and 11% at the beginning of the year.
More than 327,000 county residents have been fully inoculated against COVID-19, the county executive said. All the county’s vaccination sites are inoculating residents 12 years and older.
Private businesses can still choose to require masks and other safety measures even when the county lifts the mask mandate.
Last week, Prince George’s County lifted all capacity and distancing restrictions for all indoor and outdoor venues.
