The West Plains City Council, in a special meeting, proposed an ordinance on August 11, 2020, to mandate the wearing of masks in their jurisdiction. One of the reasons cited in the proposed mandate is the assertion “masks slow the spread of COVID-19”.
The City Council shared their thoughts and fears of the coronavirus. They ended the meeting by proposing an ordinance to mandate masks in West Plains.
The West Plains City Council will host a public hearing on Monday, August 17, regarding a city-wide mask mandate. The public hearing will be held in two sessions at the West Plains Civic Center, 110 St. Louis Street, with the first session from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. and the second session from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. [1]
The meeting is open to the public and will be streamed on the City of West Plains Facebook page according to Ozark Radio News [2].
The ordinance will come into effect on August 28th according to published documents if the council passes it on the 24th of August at their regular meeting. The council members did not state an expiration date to the proposed ordinance (when citizens can stop wearing masks.)
What Evidence Is The City Council Making Public?
“As of July 1, 2020, Howell County, Missouri, had 43 reported cases of Covid-19 and as of August 1, 2020, the number of positive cases in our county had increased to 128 which represents a 197% increase in a period of one month with the total of reported cases in Howell County Missouri, continuing to increase to 155 as of August 11, 2020,” said the council in their proposed city-wide mask mandate.
The good news is that death rates have not kept up with the rates of new cases.
Testing has increased in the state and across the nation, and confirmed cases have risen sharply. The good news is that death rates have not kept up with the new cases.
Since the start of the pandemic, Howell County has had two deaths [3]. The city council did not report that information.
Where to Wear Clean Masks?
The proposal says the masks worn need to be clean.
The ordinance mandates where to wear a mask:
- public places when less than 6 ft apart,
- in a car with non- family members,
- work, anytime day or night
- restaurants when the person is within 6 feet of someone else while eating, a mask is to be worn
Are There Exceptions?
The West Plains City Council did list out the exceptions.
These activities and more are mask free:
- participating in sporting activities,
- exercising away from others,
- eating and drinking away from others,
- deaf people,
- medical conditions,
- law enforcement requests,
- dental appointments
Also, children under the age of 10 need not wear masks.
What If I Refuse?
Fines will be issued. $15.00 per person and $100.00 per business.
Where will the fees go? The city council did not specify where any accrued funds will end up.
The full proposition can be read here.
Notes:
- ^City of West Plains releases proposed mask ordinance – Ozark Radio News. (2020, August 13). Retrieved from https://www.ozarkradionews.com/local-news/city-of-west-plains-releases-proposed-mask-ordinance (go back ↩)
- ^City of West Plains releases proposed mask ordinance – Ozark Radio News. (2020, August 13). Retrieved from https://www.ozarkradionews.com/local-news/city-of-west-plains-releases-proposed-mask-ordinance (go back ↩)
- ^Story Map Series. Missouri COVID-19 (2020, July 06). Retrieved from http://mophep.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=8e01a5d8d8bd4b4f85add006f9e14a9d (go back ↩)
