SILOAM SPRINGS -- The city Board of Directors passed a resolution Tuesday encouraging residents to wear face masks in public and businesses to require it of their patrons.
The resolution passed 6-1 with Director Reid Carroll being the lone no vote.
"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 board members.
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 isn't a political issue, but a virus. She said medical professionals don't know everything about the covid-19 virus, but what is known is that it's 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 said her job is to educate the public about wearing masks and the job of the board is to protect the city's residents 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 masks.
Directors could have considered an ordinance to require mask wearing. Gov. Asa Hutchinson signed an executive order Friday clearing the way for individual cities to adopt ordinances requiring masks in public, if they chose to do so.
The Rogers City Council passed such an ordinance in a special meeting Monday. Fayetteville already adopted an ordinance requiring masks in public last month.
Marc Hayot may be reached by email at [email protected].