AMES, Iowa — A special meeting of the Ames City Council was held Tuesday, in which the council approved a city-wide mask mandate.
The first reading of the face covering ordinance was originally going to be held on Sept. 8, but Mayor John Haila felt the mandate was needed sooner.
The ordinance will go into effect Friday, and will last through December 31 or until the ordinance is lifted, whichever comes first.
The mandate comes on the same day the Ames Community School district was officially approved by the state to move to an entirely online learning model.
The New York Times has reported that Ames is now the second-biggest hotspot for coronavirus in the country based on positivity rate relative to population (8.7% positivity).
In that same article, Iowa City was rated just below Ames with a 7.9% positivity rate.
The White House has also now recommended a mask mandate be issued for the entire state of Iowa.
Masks are now required for everyone in all indoor places where the public is invited in. Face coverings must also be worn outside if it isn't possible to stay at least 6 feet away from anyone, unless they are in your household.
The ordinance would require everyone to wear a face covering of some sort except:
- Kids three years old or younger
- Anyone with a medical condition that causes difficulty breathing
- Anyone in oxygen therapy or on a ventilator
- Anyone who has been advised by a medical or behavioral health professional to not wear a mask
- Anyone actively engaged in a public safety role, such as law enforcement or EMPs.
- Anyone who is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise can't take a face covering off without help.
There will be no penalty for failure to comply with the ordinance.
According to the Ames City Attorney Mark Lambert, a mandate with penalty would infringe on the governor's authority under her public health proclamations. In other words, unless those proclamations are lifted, they can't enforce a penalty without possibility of legal action.
