Montana Becomes the Latest State to Undo Its Mask Order

The governor of Montana lifted the state’s mask mandate this week, citing the arrival of COVID-19 vaccines and new, business-friendly protections as he reversed his predecessor’s order, making the state the latest to undo a mask requirement.

The move by Gov. Greg Gianforte, a Republican who took office last month, comes after several other Republican governors, in Iowa, North Dakota and Mississippi, ended statewide mask mandates that they had issued earlier in the pandemic. Several Montana counties and Native American tribes said they would still require people to wear masks in businesses or other indoor spaces, resulting in another patchwork of rules that has been the hallmark of the U.S. response to the virus crisis.

On Thursday, the day after Gianforte announced that he would lift the mask order, Dr. Gregory Holzman, the state medical officer, said he would be resigning from his role. A spokesperson for the state health agency said he had been considering the move “for a while” and that he would be staying with the department until April to help with vaccine distribution.

More than 30 states have mask mandates, and President Joe Biden has required that masks be worn on federal property, but the reversal of orders by several Republican governors in recent weeks could signal that states plan to further ease restrictions as the number of virus cases and hospitalizations fall from their peak in January. Still, many public health experts have warned that no longer requiring masks could lead to another rise.

Gianforte, the state’s first Republican governor in 16 years, said in reversing the order that he felt comfortable doing so because people were beginning to get vaccines and because of a new state law shielding businesses from lawsuits by people who contract the virus while at the business, except in extreme cases. Still, only about 51,000 Montanans have received both doses of a virus vaccine, less than 5% of the state’s population, according to state data.

Even as he rescinded the requirement, Gianforte said he would continue to wear a mask himself, and he urged Montanans to do so as well “to protect themselves, their loved ones and their neighbors.”