The Salt Lake County Council has decided not to challenge a COVID-19 mask mandate issued by the Salt Lake County Health Department Executive Director Dr. Angela Dunn and accepted by Mayor Jenny Wilson on Jan. 7.

Convened in a special meeting to consider the order, the council didn’t have enough votes to overturn the order.

The order, No. 2022-01, went into effect on Jan 8 and is currently planned to be in force until 5 p.m. on Feb. 7.  The public health order requires people in Salt Lake County, regardless of vaccination status or past COVID-19 infection, to wear “well-fitting masks” when indoors (or queueing outdoors) in public. For optimal protection, wearing respirators, such as KN95s, is recommended instead of cloth masks.