The Adair County Health Department Board of Trustees voted on April 12, to lift the countywide mask mandate as of May 1, as long as positive cases of COVID-19 remain low. However, the health department advises residents to continue adhering to guidelines issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention regarding wearing masks, social distancing, and handwashing to avoid any resurgence of positive COVID-19 cases. Jim LeBaron, administrator of the Adair County Health Department, said that while the action taken by the Board of Trustees reflects increasing vaccination numbers and decreasing confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county, the lifting of the mandate does not mean the pandemic is over.