The city board passed a resolution encouraging citizens to wear face masks while out in public and businesses to require patrons to wear face masks while in their establishments during Tuesday night's city board meeting.
The resolution was passed 6-1 with Director Reid Carroll being the lone "no" vote. The resolution does not make wearing the mask a mandate it is simply encourages citizens to wear them and businesses to require them.
"The resolution that you have before you basically states you as a city board strongly encourage all those who may safely wear facial coverings to do so and also strongly encourage all businesses, who are subject to a health department directive, requiring their patrons to wear masks to do so," city administrator Phillip Patterson told the board.
The only public comment came from Rhonda Hostler, a registered nurse who spoke about the need to require people to wear masks. Hostler stated this is not a political issue, but a virus. She went on to say medical professionals do not know everything about this disease, but what is known is that it is easily passed from one person to the next.
"People have lost their jobs, they have lost their businesses and they have lost their lives," Hostler said. "This is not simply going to go away."
Hostler concluded by saying she and the board had tough jobs. Her job is to educate the public about wearing masks and the job of the board is to protect its citizens while the world tries to get ahead of this whole situation.
Carroll voted against the resolution because he saw it as an infringement on the rights of people who may not want to wear a mask.