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Lakeland allows mask mandate to expire following governor's order

Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended the collection of fines for not following local mask rules.

LAKELAND, Fla. — It's now up to the people of Lakeland to decide whether they want to wear a mask in an effort to limit the spread of COVID-19.

The city at 5 p.m. Monday allowed its mask mandate to expire, spokesman Kevin Cook confirmed. According to the order, it required people to wear a face-covering in indoor public spaces where social distancing is not possible. 

People could have been fined $250 if caught not wearing a mask, though there were exceptions.

The mask ordinance originally began on July 2 and was extended twice.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last month, while announcing the state was moving to Phase Three of reopening, suspended the collection of fines for violating local mask rules -- essentially taking out the teeth of any mask order across the state.

"Without the ability to enforce a mandate, there is no reason to mandate," Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz told the Lakeland Ledger.

Masks are widely considered an effective tool to prevent new coronavirus infections. For someone who is infected, a mask could prevent viral particles from going to another person, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

The Florida Department of Health reports Polk County has had 20,419 cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, with a current seven-day rolling average of 93 cases each day. Five-hundred and thirty-three people died after testing positive for the virus.

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