From USA TODAY Network and wire reports Alabama Montgomery: The Montgomery County Commission voted Tuesday to make the use of face masks in county-owned buildings optional, effective immediately. “Commissioners are strongly encouraging the public and employees to exercise personal responsibility and continue to wash hands, practice physical distancing, and wear masks when appropriate,” County Commission spokeswoman Hannah Hawk said in a release announcing the decision. A municipal mandate remains in place through Sunday that requires the use of masks in most public situations. Many major retail outlets, grocery stores and entertainment venues still require anyone who enters to wear a face mask. A spokesman for one of the area’s largest employers, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, also confirmed Tuesday that its workers still will be required to wear masks “for the foreseeable future.” The county required masks to be worn by employees and visitors in all county facilities for nearly a month after the state stopped requiring them April 9. Gov. Kay Ivey announced Monday that the current statewide public health order will end May 31 and that Alabama’s state of emergency will end July 6. Nearly 11,000 Alabamians have died from COVID-19 since Ivey first declared the state of emergency March 13, 2020.