Tampa Mayor Jane Castor will issue outdoor mask order for Super Bowl 55

Wearing a mask outdoors will be required during the Super Bowl 55 festivities – at least in some heavily trafficked areas, Mayor Jane Castor announced late Wednesday.

Castor broke the news on her FaceBook Live show as she traded friendly barbs and banter with Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas.

“We’re passing an additional mask order that will require masks outdoors in those areas that we expect will be densely populated with Super Bowl fans,” Castor said in response to an emailed question from the Tampa Bay Times about what the city was planning to do to keep the nation’s highest- profile game from becoming a super-spreader event.

Details about where the order would apply, for how long and if there would be any penalties for non-compliance remained scarce.

Castor will issue an executive order Thursday that will shed light on the measure to limit the spread of the virus, said spokeswoman Ashley Bauman.

NFL volunteers would assist in enforcing the order as well as handing out masks, Bauman said.

This story was originally published January 28, 2021 at 8:57 AM.