Mask Ordinance Passes Milwaukee Common Council
MILWAUKEE, WI — Milwaukeeans will likely have to mask up indoors again after the Milwaukee Common Council voted Tuesday to adopt a new mask ordinance.
Council members voted 12-1 for a rule to require people over the age of 3 to wear a face covering when inside a building open to the public. The ordinance would last until March 1 and only applies to businesses or other buildings inside city limits. Acting Mayor Cavalier Johnson must sign the ordinance before it can be enforced.
Businesses that violate the future ordinance could get a complaint to the city's License Division of the city health department. Those complaints could be taken in consideration when a business wants to renew its license, Alderman Robert Bauman said in a meeting. Bauman, who voted yes, represents the city's 4th District.
Bauman called the ordinance a "recommendation, not a mandate" and said there were some exceptions to the rule, such as people giving live performances, athletes playing in sports games and people eating food in restaurants.
Council members proposed the ordinance due to the high number of COVID-19 cases in Wisconsin, Alderwoman Marina Dimitrijevic said in a meeting. Dimitrijevic, who voted yes, co-sponsored the bill and represents the city's 14th District.
“We are still in an emergency," Dimitrijevic said. "We had the largest number of cases in Wisconsin ever, if that’s not a sign of an emergency, then I don’t know what is."
Alderman Mark Borkowski, who voted no, said the ordinance was "watered down" due to its March 1 end date and a compromise in its language. Borkowski represents the 11th District, which he said borders on suburban communities that don't have mask ordinances of their own.
The ordinance was a "true compromise" between city businesses, the city health department and its alderpeople, Alderwoman JoCasta Zamarripa said in a meeting. Zamarripa, a co-sponsor of the bill, represents the 8th District.
Health officials said that getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is the No. 1 tool to fight the spread of the virus as well as its severe effects, including hospitalization and death.
The city health department gave away 1 million N95 masks the week of Jan. 9, as health experts said the respirators do a better job of blocking the omicron variant.
See More: Here's Where To Get N95 Masks In WI As Cloth Masks Make An Exit
Here are some places to pick up N95 and KN95 masks, which are being required in some Milwaukee area hospitals now.
RELATED: First Milwaukee Restaurant To Require Vaccination Cards
This article originally appeared on the Milwaukee Patch
