South Windsor mask mandate debate continues

Sep. 21—SOUTH WINDSOR — The debate over the town's mask mandate continued at Monday night's Town Council meeting with residents speaking out on both sides of the issue.

Over two dozen people attended the meeting, with opinions seeming to be evenly split.

Carman Road resident Tom Anderson said while he is ultimately unhappy about having to wear a mask, it has been made necessary by the changing landscape of the pandemic.

MASK MANDATE

WHAT: South Windsor issued a mask mandate on Aug. 19 requiring individuals to wear masks at all indoor public spaces.

DEBATE: At the Sept. 7 meeting, residents spoke about the mandate, but the meeting was abruptly adjourned after a resident refused to comply. The debate continued at Monday's meeting.

He said the virus is still a real threat, especially because of the highly contagious delta variant, and residents should be mindful of their actions to protect those who can't get vaccinated.

"The virus almost seems fake because we've done such a good job of mitigating the risks," Anderson said, explaining that the situation could be much worse if not treated properly.

Lauren Chung of Diane Drive disagreed, saying mask mandates are ineffective as masks don't help with controlling the spread of the virus. She called the town's action "virtue signaling," and said the mandate has led her to take her business to towns where masks aren't required indoors.

"I don't spend any money here in this town anymore," Chung said.

Joe Kennedy Jr., chairman of the Agricultural Land Preservation Advisory Commission, said the town has done a commendable job at tackling the virus. He said people in the senior community have stepped up to protect themselves and their neighbors throughout the pandemic, and it's time for other residents to do the same.

"If you don't follow protocols, it's gonna end badly for someone," Kennedy said.

Corrine Bordua of Pleasant Valley Road said the mandate to wear a mask in Town Hall is simply a guise to push people away from getting involved in town meetings, citing the inconsistency of what is considered acceptable levels of protection in Town Hall versus other settings.

"It's really just a curtain of cowardice," Bordua said.

Laurel Street resident Dave Macdonald said he supports the town's direction for protecting residents' health.

"It has been proven time and time again, in public health issues, that a macro course of action has solved far more public health issues than micro, self-serving, egocentric courses of action have solved," Macdonald said.

Dan Edwards of Hilton Drive said he found it "perplexing" the way the town has applied its coronavirus protections, installing a plywood and plexiglass booth around the public speaking podium as an example.

"Why isn't there any plexiglass in front of you? It doesn't make sense," Edwards asked the council.

During his remarks, Mayor Andrew Paterna said the community needs to help control the spread of the virus, and mask mandates are part of that.

"Wearing a mask is not fun, I understand that," Paterna said. "But when we're faced with a global health crisis, we have to do something to slow down this disease."

One matter of business conducted during the meeting was a request by council member Phil Koboski to amend the minutes of the Sept. 7 meeting to indicate that he had voted against the motion to adjourn that was made an hour into the meeting.

The council abruptly adjourned its Sept. 7 meeting after resident Mary Beaulieu of Ellington Road, who claimed to have an exemption from wearing a mask, refused to comply with the mandate while speaking during the public hearing portion of that meeting. She spoke again at Monday's meeting without a mask, but her comments were mostly about the town's inability to communicate with residents and her displeasure over the town's flag policy.

Joseph covers East Hartford and South Windsor. He joined the JI in July 2021. Joseph graduated from the University of Connecticut and he is an avid guitarist and coffee enthusiast.