‘I can already hear the whining’: Florida Sheriff bans deputies and visitors from wearing face masks
A sheriff in Florida has banned deputies and visitors from wearing face masks amidst the coronavirus pandemic.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods outlined the new regulations in an email to staff that he had considered both sides of the argument but there was no room for negotiation on the decision.
“Now, I can already hear the whining and just so you know I did not make this decision easily and I have weighed it out for the past 2 weeks,” he said.
“We can debate and argue all day of why and why not. The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn’t.”
The sheriff’s decision comes only a day after Florida recorded its highest single-day number of coronavirus-related deaths since the pandemic began.
Sheriff Woods said exceptions will be made for deputies at jails, schools, courthouses, hospitals, nursing homes, and when dealing with someone who is elderly or has Covid-19.
However, even in these cases, he stipulated that masks should still be removed when giving orders or commands to comply.
Masks will not be permitted in sheriff’s department buildings so that visitors can be easily identified and to allow clear communication, he said. Visitors will be required to take off their masks in the lobby.
The record number of 276 deaths reported in Florida on Tuesday by local health officials brings the state’s total death toll to 8,685 since the pandemic began.
A total of 542,792 cases of coronavirus were reported on Tuesday throughout Florida, which has struggled to contain the virus as cases surged over the last few months.
Americans have been urged by public health officials to wear masks in public to help stop the spread of the coronavirus.
The centres for disease control (CDC) has said “there is increasing evidence that cloth face coverings help prevent people who have Covid-19 from spreading the virus to others.”
However, Sheriff Woods claimed that working mask-free has not impacted his 900-person department, according to The Washington Post.
“Since the beginning of this pandemic the operation of this office has not changed and no wearing of masks has been put in place,” he reportedly wrote in the email.
CDC Director Dr Robert R Redfield has advised that ”cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus”.
“All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities,” he added.
Additional reporting by the Associated Press
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