SLO City Council considers requiring masks in public places. Here’s what it decided
The San Luis Obispo City Council explored the idea Friday of mandating a mask requirement in crowded areas such as in stores where customers and business workers come into close contact.
But in a special meeting, the council decided against moving forward on a requirement, citing difficulties with enforcing such a policy, after a relatively brief midday discussion.
Taking into consideration a white paper authored by San Luis Obispo County public health director Penny Borenstein on May 3 that examined the mask issue, Councilmember Aaron Gomez said he read the document and noted “a lot of conflicting information” about whether a mask mandate is the best approach for public health and safety.
“The fact that there’s nuance, I think we need to follow the lead of Dr. Borenstein on the best protocol,” Gomez said. “I’m not in favor of moving forward with this as a city decision right now.”
Councilmember Carlyn Christianson agreed that following any future state and county guidelines would help the city best unify its position with surrounding jurisdictions, and reduce the workload for an already strained city staff.
But Christianson didn’t think a city law was necessary, despite her support for face coverings in general.
“I still support people wearing them when they’re out in public areas,” Christianson said.
SLO County public health breaks down mask pros, cons
The white paper encourages cashiers and customers to wear face coverings in situations when social distancing is difficult to maintain.
But Borenstein’s report stops short of recommending a mandate.
“Supporting evidence is not strong enough to issue an order to mandate the use of cloth masks at this time,” Borenstein’s white paper notes. “Consumer preference is already accomplishing this is most parts of the county.”
The report includes arguments against the use of masks, noting that a large majority of residents in Wuhan, China were already wearing masks for flu season when COVID-19 spread rapidly this winter.
The white paper also states that San Luis Obispo County residents are effectively flattening the curve through social distancing, and that penetration of particles in cloth masks is possible. Medical masks also are far more effective than cloth masks, the report notes.
Arguments in favor of wearing a mask include reduced risk of infection, particularly in areas where social distancing is difficult to maintain; providing a level of personal comfort and helping to reinforce social distancing practices. People should still practice social distancing and hand washing even when using masks, Borenstein said.
Also, if people don’t use masks properly or practice good hygiene, the new coronavirus can still spread even if people are wearing them, Borenstein said.
Some SLO County groceries already require masks
Several local grocery stores require customers wear masks, including Costco, which implemented its store rule May 4 — and that’s legal, according to San Luis Obispo County’s attorney.
But, despite some public requests, there is no countywide order legally requiring residents and visitors to wear them.
San Luis Obispo city attorney Christine Dietrick said that a city mask mandate law would need to take into consideration people with medical conditions whose health could be be affected if they wore masks.
That would create potential challenges with enforcing such as a policy as well, she said.
On Tuesday, the Pismo Beach City Council conducted a first reading of an ordinance requiring all essential workers and people who frequent an essential business within city limits to wear face coverings when on the premises.
The ordinance will need to go before the City Council once again for a second reading, and would go into effect 30 days after that if successful.
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