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Duval County Mask Mandate Extended Into January

Face masks hanging on a cabinet
Jessica Palombo
/
WJCT News

Mayor Lenny Curry has extended Duval County’s mask mandate through at least Jan. 25, according to WJCT News partner News4Jax.

That means everyone over the age of 6 must continue wearing a face mask or face covering while in public indoor spaces, including employees and customers at businesses within city limits. There are, however, exceptions for certain cases such as people dining at a restaurant or a patient visiting the dentist.

Duval County put the mandate in place in late June after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued the recommendation.

However, don't expect police to show up and start ticketing people for not wearing masks next time you're at the store. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis issued his own executive order back in November that prohibits local governements from enforcing their local mandates with penalties or fines for noncompliance. 

But as the Florida Phoenix reported, Jacksonville is not alone in continuing to keep their mask mandates on the books, despite the lack of teeth.

“While the governor’s order issued on Sept. 25 no longer allows fines to be issued, protective face coverings are still required,” Hillsborough County said at the time.

Read the rest of this story from News4Jax.

Jessica Palombo supervises local news gathering and production, podcasts and web editorial content for WJCT News, ADAPT and Jacksonville Today. She is an award-winning writer and journalist with bylines including NPR, Experience Magazine, and The Gainesville Sun. She has a master’s degree in broadcast and digital journalism from Syracuse University and is an alumna of the University of Florida. A nearly lifelong resident of Jacksonville, she considers herself lucky to be raising her own children in her hometown. Follow Jessica Palombo on Twitter: @JaxJessicaP