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The city of Albert Lea announced Wednesday that starting Monday it will require people to wear face masks in all city-owned properties again regardless of vaccination status.

This includes City Hall, the library, City Arena, the police station, the fire station, city garage and the Senior Center. People are advised to stay home if they are sick and to practice social distancing.

The change comes as Freeborn County last week was classified as an area with a high COVID-19 transmission rate, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Freeborn County had 11 new COVID-19 cases and one new hospitalization reported Wednesday, and it currently has 59 active cases.

The new cases on Wednesday included two people under 4, one between 15 and 19, one in their 20s, three in their 30s, two in their 40s and two in their 70s, according to the Freeborn County Public Health Department.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states of the entire county population, 46.7% of residents are fully vaccinated. Of residents 18 and older, 57.2% are fully vaccinated.