HARTFORD, Conn. — Doctors are urging personal responsibility as Hartford has ended its indoor mask mandate on Tuesday.
In a statement, Mayor Luke Bronin cited a steady decline in COVID case numbers over the past few weeks as a reason not to extend the mandate, which expired at midnight on Jan. 31.
However, the mayor is still encouraging people to continue wearing masks while indoors around strangers.
Businesses can also still require patrons to wear masks.
Inside Aurora's Bakery and Restaurant, manager John Olmino said they plan to leave the decision up to customers. However, some staff members still plan to cover up.
“I spoke to the members in the back and they still feel more secure with the mask on with the hygiene and everything," said Olmino.
Dr. Syed Hussain with Trinity Health of New England is also still urging caution.
“What folks need to remember is that we’re still in the midst of a pandemic and the virus isn’t done with us yet," said Hussain.
Bronin said in his statement: "I told our community that this would be a time-limited measure because of the extraordinary surge, and as we begin to move past the omicron wave, I think it's important to demonstrate that we take that commitment seriously."
“We just have to keep repeating it, that it’s personal responsibility. The era of mandates and restrictions is likely over, that’s not something that’s sustainable," said Hussain.
He added that message of personal responsibility will be critical as COVID becomes something we learn to live with, but he said we're not there yet.
"If you look at the data, we’re still averaging thousands of deaths in the U.S. every single day. In a bad flu season, that number is much much much smaller," Hussain said.
Angelo Bavaro is an anchor and reporter at FOX61 News. He can be reached at abavaro@fox61.com. Follow him on Facebook and Twitter.
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