{"id":50212,"date":"2020-11-23T16:30:03","date_gmt":"2020-11-23T23:30:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-adds-teeth-to-its-mask-wearing-ordinance\/"},"modified":"2020-11-23T23:30:03","modified_gmt":"2020-11-23T23:30:03","slug":"durango-adds-teeth-to-its-mask-wearing-ordinance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/durango-adds-teeth-to-its-mask-wearing-ordinance\/","title":{"rendered":"Durango adds teeth to its mask-wearing ordinance"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Durango
Durango city councilors on Monday adopted a new mask ordinance the city hopes gives teeth to enforcement.<\/span>Terrance Siemon\/BCI file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

As COVID-19 cases continue to rise and Southwest Colorado\u2019s health care systems appear to be maxing out, Durango City Council on Monday adopted stricter regulations to enforce the mandatory mask order.<\/p>\n

The question of what agency should take the lead on enforcing the mask requirement has been up in the air since the pandemic began earlier this year. Masks must be worn in all indoor places and outdoors where social distancing can\u2019t be maintained.<\/p>\n

While San Juan Basin Public Health, La Plata County\u2019s local health department, has an avenue to enforce the state public health order, the agency has said it does not have the resources to take the lead on enforcement.<\/p>\n

Instead, in recent weeks, the city of Durango has considered whether it should create a new local law<\/a> that requires masks, which would provide the city and Durango Police Department with a more direct way to enforce face coverings.<\/p>\n

City councilors Monday voted 4 to 1 to adopt the emergency ordinance, with Councilor Kim Baxter in opposition. Baxter said she is supportive of wearing masks, but does not believe creating a new law would ensure compliance.<\/p>\n

Exceptions to the mask ordinance include those in the act of eating or drinking, people at work who do not come into contact with the public or co-workers, children younger than 10 and people with medical exemptions.<\/p>\n

Business owners are required to make sure their employees are properly wearing masks, according to the ordinance.<\/p>\n

\"Some
Some La Plata County residents kept busy this spring making face masks for first responders and others.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

City officials said education and outreach will be the first step taken for those not adhering to the mask requirement.<\/p>\n

But, if the person or business continues to break the ordinance, they could be subject to a fine of $50 for a first offense, $250 for a second offense and $500 for a third and subsequent offenses.<\/p>\n

The ordinance also gives authority to the Durango Local Licensing Authority to revoke a liquor license if an establishment is not following the mask ordinance.<\/p>\n

If a person refuses to wear a mask and also refuses to leave the business, the owner or manager can report that person for trespassing.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt says we\u2019re serious about enforcement in our community,\u201d said Mayor Dean Brookie. \u201cOtherwise, we\u2019re going to put stress on our businesses, our medical community and front-line services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nearly everyone who spoke during almost two hours of public comment spoke out against the mask ordinance.<\/p>\n

Many people questioned the seriousness of COVID-19 and the pandemic. Other people said masks are ineffective at slowing the spread of the virus.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am a person who has never worn a mask,\u201d said Jenny Diehl. \u201cAccording to everyone out there, I should be dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
A variety of masks that people are wearing to help limit the spread of COVID-19.<\/span>Jerry McBride\/Durango Herald file<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Philip Wortman said the government is trying to control people\u2019s lives through public health orders issued in response to the COVID-19 outbreak.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe will eventually overcome all the silliness going on here,\u201d Wortman said. \u201cYou don\u2019t need to be a needless sheep being led to the slaughter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsey McElroy said the pandemic is a \u201cfear-driving, freedom-sucking situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy toddler will not grow up watching people wear masks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Heather Drake echoed sentiments that masks don\u2019t work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s hogwash,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are not wearing masks for other people. Leave us alone.\u201d<\/p>\n

The few people who spoke in support of the mask ordinance said it is a necessary measure as cases surge in La Plata County.<\/p>\n

As of Tuesday, there were 1,161 positive cases, with the vast majority of that total coming in the past few weeks. And, according to state data, all 25 ICU beds in Southwest Colorado were full Monday.<\/p>\n

\u201cThink of mask wearing as more of a community service and a show of respect for your fellow citizens,\u201d said Jeff Hickcox.<\/p>\n

Johnathan Cannon, who lives in Bayfield, said it\u2019s a tricky spot to put the onus on business owners to enforce the ordinance, and the responsibility should instead fall on the city.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe do need to create preventive measures, and the most effective and safe ones can be masks,\u201d he said. \u201cThe only ways masks are effective is if everyone is wearing one.\u201d<\/p>\n

Durango\u2019s new mask ordinance takes effect immediately and lasts for 60 days, though it could be extended.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we are in a critical period and we need to do everything within our power,\u201d said City Councilor Barbara Noseworthy.<\/p>\n

Liane Jollon, executive director of SJBPH, submitted written comments to City Council in favor of the new ordinance.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt (mask wearing) is one of the best tools that we currently have available (along with social distancing, washing hands, etc.) to (slow) the spread of COVID-19,\u201d Jollon wrote.<\/p>\n

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, COVID-19 spreads through respiratory droplets that travel in the air when someone coughs, sneezes or talks.<\/p>\n

Masks, the CDC says, are simple barriers to prevent the spread of those droplets from person to person.<\/p>\n

For a variety of reasons, however, mask wearing has become a political issue for some.<\/p>\n

Baxter said she supports mask wearing, but felt like many of the stipulations in the new ordinance are already in place, like being able to call police if someone is trespassing.<\/p>\n

She said the new ordinance is likely to further divide the community.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not sure this ordinance is going to make that difference,\u201d she said. \u201cI think the community has to do it because they want to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

jromeo@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

A previous version of this story gave an incorrect fine amount for a second offense of the public health orders.<\/em><\/p>\n\n

Ordinance \u2013 COVID enforcement (PDF)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Penalties start at $50 but could go up to $500<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":50213,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[685,1020,1065,28,29,4259,668,686],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-50212","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-coronavirus-covid-19","tag-durango-city-council","tag-durango-police-department","tag-headlines","tag-newsletter","tag-newsletter-sign-up","tag-public-health","tag-san-juan-basin-health-department"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50212","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=50212"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/50212\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/50213"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=50212"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=50212"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=50212"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=50212"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}