MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — The argument over mandating face masks continues as counties like Manatee and Sarasota have stayed away from ordering the use of face coverings.
But on Monday, Manatee County commissioners voted to pass a mask order requiring people to wear face coverings when not social distancing. According to the resolution, businesses are also required to display clear signs notifying people of the face mask requirement.
“The Resolution follows the guidelines issued by the Center for Disease Control and the Florida Surgeon General,” the County Attorney’s Office said. “It is modeled after similar resolutions and ordinances adopted by other counties.”
According to the resolution, children under the age of 6 will not be required to wear a face covering. This will also apply to those who have trouble breathing due to a chronic pre-existing condition.
Before it passed, Commissioner Carol Whitmore said she was “100 percent in favor of it!”
With Manatee County remaining a hotspot for this virus, Whitmore said the vote to approve the order seemed obvious.
As of today, 154 people have died from COVID-19 in Manatee County and there are currently 473 people hospitalized. Since reopening the state, Manatee County has seen a major spike in cases this month. To date, 7,859 people have tested positive for the virus in the county.
“We can stop this virus here in Manatee County,” said Doug Wagner, the deputy superintendent for Manatee County Schools. “We don’t need to be a hotspot. This is a community pandemic; everybody is affected in our community.
"We have to look out for each other."
Cities within Sarasota and Manatee counties had already taken it upon themselves to implement a mask ordinance.
The cities of Sarasota, Anna Maria and Holmes Beach all already have ordinances in place requiring the use of face coverings.
The city of Bradenton issued an emergency ordinance that wasn’t as strict. The city is requiring business owners to post a visible sign at every public entrance encouraging those who enter to wear a face covering in the business.
“This does help,” Wagner said. “This [a mask] helps protect everybody around you and it protects yourself. That’s the part that we are not there yet in Manatee County where everyone I see is wearing a mask and they are practicing social spacing.”
Wagner says the use of a face mask will be mandatory at all schools in Manatee County. He’s hoping the school district will be a good role model for the rest of the county.
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