Coronavirus Response: Baltimore City Council Favors Requiring Everyone To Wear Masks In Public
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- The Baltimore City Council is asking Mayor Bernard C. "Jack" Young to issue an executive order requiring everyone in the city to wear masks or face coverings while out in public amid the coronavirus pandemic.
At their second virtual meeting, council members agreed that many employees and customers of essential businesses continue to be at risk of contracting COVID-19 even with the strict measures in place.
"We are putting the lives of those citizens, the lives of those individuals who work in our supermarkets, who are doing the work so we can have some sense of normalcy, at risk," Council President Brandon Scott said.
In addition to requiring everyone to wear masks, the city council also wants to see all essential businesses institute social distancing practices within their establishments.
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In a statement, Young's office said he's consulting with leaders in Prince George's and Montgomery counties, both of which have implemented similar measures for wearing masks in public, to see how the practice has been working there.
"The Mayor is also consulting with the Health Commissioner and will consider all protocols that advance public health," the statement reads.
When asked for her thoughts on the proposal, Baltimore resident Melissa Alston said it could only help slow the virus's spread.
"They're hot, they're uncomfortable but so is the hospital," she said.
For the latest information on coronavirus go to the Maryland Health Department's website or call 211. You can find all of WJZ's coverage on coronavirus in Maryland here.