The city of Springfield is no longer enforcing its mask mandate.
While the local mandate has not officially been repealed yet, in light of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new masking guidelines announced Thursday, local fines will no longer be issued to those not wearing masks.
Even though the CDC's guidelines say those who are fully vaccinated no longer need to wear masks or physically distance, the city is still suggesting people continue to do both.
"The City of Springfield encourages anyone who has NOT received his or her COVID-19 vaccine to do so as soon as possible," the city wrote in official statement issued Friday. "Right now, with businesses serving the public, there is no way for them to know who has received their vaccination and who has not. This makes it difficult to keep businesses and their employees' safe while serving the public.