POCATELLO — The City Council voted five to one on Monday afternoon to rescind the city-wide ordinance requiring people to wear face coverings in public.

The change will go into effect on Wednesday.

Council members Chris Stevens, Claudia Ortega, Roger Bray, Heidi Adamson and Rick Cheatum all voted to rescind the ordinance, while Linda Leeuwrik voted against it.

Maggie Mann, Southeastern Idaho Public Health’s district director, on Monday expressed her appreciation for the city.

“We just appreciate the leadership that the city has demonstrated throughout this situation,” Mann said.

She believes the city’s mask mandate, which was adopted last November, helped to save lives and slow the spread of COVID-19. And she knows the council’s decision to rescind the ordinance on Monday was based on current data.

Still, Mann wants to see COVID-19 case numbers continue to decline and she encourages people to do their part by wearing masks, social distancing and getting a vaccine.

“Even with the mandate lifted, it’s important to think about and continue to make choices on your own,” Mann said.

Earlier this month, City Council members expressed support for removing the mask mandate upon meeting the threshold of 15 COVID-19 cases per 10,000 residents for 14 consecutive days. And the city did meet that threshold.

Council members subsequently decided to rescind the mask mandate, but they could reimplement it in the future. During their Monday meeting, the council voted four to two to revisit the issue if active cases rise to 15 or more per 10,000 people for 14 consecutive days or 30 or more per 10,000 for three consecutive days.

Adamson and Cheatum voted against that motion to potentially revisit the ordinance, while all of the other council members approved it.

While the city will no longer require citizens to wear masks whenever they go out in public, people may still need to wear them in certain places.

For instance, those who ride Pocatello Regional Transit buses or enter the Pocatello Regional Airport will still have to wear a mask per U.S. President Joe Biden’s executive order, according to a Pocatello news release.

People will also need to wear masks when visiting city facilities.

“Per city policy, masks are still required for city employees and for citizens who enter city facilities and participate in programs and activities. Citizens are required to wear face coverings when entering any city of Pocatello building or facility or riding in public transportation buses,” the news release states. “Citizens participating in city-sponsored programs or activities in outdoor spaces do not have to wear a face covering unless 6 feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained.”

In addition, businesses, schools and other organizations can still require people to wear masks.

“Business owners or managers are within their rights to ask patrons to leave the business if they do not follow the business’ terms,” the news release states.

While the mask mandate is ending, city officials are still encouraging people to protect themselves from the virus and do their part to limit its spread. They recommend citizens visit the following websites for more information: siphidaho.org/coronavirus.php, coronavirus.idaho.gov, and cdc.gov.