Council extends masking mandate

Last edited 1:02 p.m., Dec. 15, 2020

Springfield City Council unanimously voted last night to extend the masking requirement inside city limits until April 9. The current order was set to expire on Jan. 9.

The extended mandate means face coverings must continue to be worn inside businesses and at public spaces, including social clubs and sporting events. Violations could result in a fine of up to $100. In addition, business owners who do not comply with the face covering requirements in their establishments may face suspension or revocation of their business license, according to the new ordinance. The order first was enacted in July.

At the meeting, Springfield-Greene County Health Department Director Clay Goddard cited the importance of using a mask in the fight against the coronavirus. However, a new exemption was listed in the mandate. People are exempt from wearing a face covering while taking pictures after a baptism, similar to weddings, Goddard said.

“We are certainly in the homestretch, the last leg of the race; we need to finish strong as our hospitals truly do depend on measures like this,” he said.

Council members Jan Fisk and Matthew Simpson spoke in support of the extension.

“We hear a lot of opinions about the effectiveness of masking, the effectiveness of distancing and the other mitigation steps, but these are empirical questions where we can answer them through evidence,” Simpson said. “The evidence is overwhelmingly clear that they do work in mitigating the spread. And the more adoption we can get – both within our city and across our region – that affects our hospitals, the better.”

He also noted the importance of masking to protect front-line workers in the Ozarks. Both Simpson and Fisk pointed to the Mercy Hospital Springfield nurses first to receive a COVID-19 vaccine yesterday, as a glimmer of hope.

“We are so close to ending this pandemic, yet we cannot slow down for one minute and throw away our masks,” Fisk said. “I am supporting this extension in honor of our health care workers that have worked every day and night to comfort their patients suffering from this dreadful disease when their families were nearby totally helpless.”

Two members of the public spoke in opposition of the extension.

Council approved the mandate 8-0, with council member Phyllis Ferguson recusing herself from the vote. She also abstained from voting on the mandate this summer and fall, due to her role in the restaurant industry that must enforce the mandate. Ferguson serves as chief operating officer for Mexican Villa.

“Due to a real or perceived conflict of interest regarding my financial interest, I am recusing myself from this vote,” Ferguson said.

The vote came after the governing board was urged to extend the mandate by leaders at Mercy and CoxHealth at a Dec. 8 council luncheon. At the meeting, Mercy Hospital Springfield President and Chief Operating Officer Brent Hubbard said the pandemic is continuing to grow in numbers in the Ozarks CoxHealth President and CEO Steve Edwards said the health system has had over 2,000 admissions from the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.

According to the Health Department’s COVID-19 recovery dashboard, there have been 247 coronavirus-related deaths and 18,012 cases in Greene County as of this morning. There has been a 7% increase in reported cases during the past seven days.