Monday night the Decatur City Council voted to approve a mask mandate ordinance for the community in the wake of the recent COVID-19 surge. The 5-2 vote approved an ordinance that requires the public to wear face coverings in order to “protect the health, safety and welfare of the persons within the city.” It requires all people involved in an activity outside of their home to have on face coverings “while other persons are present.” The two “no” votes on the Council came from Councilmen Bill Faber and Rodney Walker. The ordinance was approved with an amendment that cuts fines in half for individuals and not businesses.
Meanwhile, the Macon County Health Department held a Press Conference ahead of tonight’s Council Meeting. Administrator Brandi Binkley said she has reached out to many of the district superintendents in Macon County and asked them to make the choice to go virtual through at least January 15th. She added that Faith-based organizations have been asked to do the same thing. The administrators of HSHS St. Mary’s Hospital, Memorial Health Systems’ Decatur Memorial Hospital and Crossing Healthcare along with Decatur Mayor Julie Moore-Wolfe were all in attendance and all of them stressed the importance of the public continuing to wear masks and practice social distancing. People are also asked to give up in-person holiday gatherings to slow the spread of the virus.
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