Monday night, Columbus City Council passed a new ordinance regarding the mask mandate in Columbus.

The new measure could make for an earlier sunset to the mandate - provided new cases remain low on average.

Eastern Health District Chief Public Health Officer Chuck Seper proposed that if Platte County keeps below 27 cases on a seven-day rolling average for 14 days, the mask mandate would be lifted.

While most council members responded favorably to the proposition, council member John Lohr expressed concern, citing Mayo Clinic figures which he said showed Platte County with 50 cases per 100,000, while Columbus only had 18, as of January 2nd.

"Now that's really a distinct difference," Lohr said, "and I think it proves, certainly beyond my shadow of a doubt, that the mask mandate worked."

After the presentation, Columbus council members voted almost unanimously for the new sunset rules.

However, if after another seven-day rolling average rises to 50 cases or more, the mandate will go back into effect... until February 23.