Joplin will not mandate face masks
The city of Joplin will NOT make people wear face masks or face coverings when they leave their homes within city limits.
After deliberating for nearly four hours Wednesday night, the Joplin City Council voted 5-4 not to adopt the face mask ordinance. Voting ‘no’ for the ordinance were Charles Copple, Phil Stinnett, Ryan Stanley, Gary Shaw, and Doug Lawson. Voting ‘yes’ were Anthony Monteleone, Keenan Cortez, Christina Williams, and Diane Reid Adams.
The council voted to amend the original ordinance 7-2 to make it more lenient before then voting it down.
Some council members instead want to adopt an ordinance that covers specific employers or areas instead of one blanket policy that covers the entire city. Another member had an issue with how large the fine would be and the wording about a mask being required as soon as you leave your home. Another council member also had a problem with “mandating anything”. Council also brought up the fact that this would mean more cases for Joplin Police to handle on top of everything else.
The 9 member council also took into consideration recent polls done by the Chamber of Commerce and other news outlets which showed that more people were still against mandating face masks.
This comes as Joplin is now reporting a total of nearly 100 cases of the virus since the pandemic began in mid-March. Last weekend, the Joplin metro area was ranked as one of the nation’s top hotspots for increases in COVID-19 cases. Jasper County has seen its first death from the virus, a man in his 70s.
Many citizens came to the meeting and weighed in on the issue, saying that forcing them to wear a face mask infringes on their constitutional rights” and takes away their freedom and liberties. Some even threatened to shop elsewhere in the area where masks are not required. Some also questioned the effectiveness of the masks’ ability to actually slow the spread of the virus. Others even blamed the media for fear-mongering the severity of the pandemic. A few say the ordinance will divide the people even further. Some say each individual should be able to make their own decision on whether or not to wear a mask. Another man was concerned about enforcement and putting more work on our police officers.
Some citizens did speak in favor of the ordinance, saying that masks will reduce the spread and that it is the responsible thing to do to protect those who are most vulnerable. One Doctor says he sees no other way to curb the spread, other than the masks. Health Department Dan Pekarek says he continues to ask people to wear masks and that it should be a part of our daily routine, regardless of whether there is a mandate in place or not.
Pekarek says a majority of the recent cases they’ve seen in the area have come from family gatherings and large gatherings of friends. He says you should stay home if you are exhibiting symptoms or are sick.
Joplin remains in step two of their four-step reopening plan.