5.B. RES 20-076 Action on Resolution 20-076, an Emergency Resolution of the City Council of the City of Brookings, South Dakota, to Address a Public Health Crisis.
Businesses, restaurants, and bars don't matter if we have sick people in our hospitals. It doesn't matter if you think God gave you a right to not wear a mask, we are not trying to be a hotspot, like Sioux Falls a couple of months ago. Might I add we are predicted to become an outbreak city because we have failed to do the least, which is to wear a mask and comply with CDC recommendations. This is predicted by COVIDACTNOW.org. I am for mandated mask-wearing.
We have a moral responsibility to protect the vulnerable and a civic responsibility to protect the well-being of our community. Wearing a mask is a simple step we can take toward both of these actions, and a mandate will ensure that most residents participate in a basic activity that can save lives. Let’s make decisions to keep our K-12 kids in school and our college students in the classroom and community. Doing so also supports the financial well-being of the City of Brookings.
There is no need for a resolution when you already have an ordinance. And this resolution should not go into effect immediately. Citizens deserve a grace period. This should be a recommendation only.
Please issue a mask mandate! The numbers are going up, and ALL citizens should be protected.
Their may be a lot of blue their tonight, but the green people are trying to be smart and stay out of crowds.
We can either do nothing, or take action based on science to save lives.
Cole Sartell
These ordinances are about thinking of others and staying open. This pandemic has already had economic impact on our community. We should be doing everything possible to minimize the spread so that we can enjoy keeping businesses open. Wearing masks indoors when 6 ft. distance cannot be maintained is a consistent practice of communities that have successfully rebounded from significant spread of Covid-19. If we keep the rate of spread low, our hospitals won't overflow, and we remain open. Simple
My family and I are happy to take the step to wear a mask to protect our most vulnerable citizens. We also support those businesses that feel safest with masks in use and hope that a mandate can take some of the stress off folks who worry about being boycotted. We believe together is the best way to get through adversity!
We need to support the mask mandate to protect vulnerable populations. People with pre-existing health conditions and the elderly need to be protected. Also, we do not know the long term effects covid may have in younger populations. Wearing a mask is a small sacrifice that will help protect all members of our community.
I cannot get the picture of the people who attended last week's City Council meeting without masks and disrespectfully ignoring social distance suggestions out of my head. Nor can I forget the comments made by Dr. VandeKop, a trained healthcare provider in our own community. Why would we not take the relatively simple step of wearing masks to potentially save lives, slow the spread and give us the ability to keep our businesses open as opposed to closing due to a surge of cases?
It is time to protect our health care workers who have been working 24/7 on the frontlines of this pandemic. Now that our community is in substantial spread of COVID-19 as well as the start of an influenza season, we need to take measures to keep our doctors and nurses healthy as they continue to provide care to the citizens of Brookings. Listen to the medical community. This won't last forever if we act now. What happens if the doctors, nurses and the those testing patients get ill?
I am urging you to amend Resolution 20-076 to read “recommend” instead of "require".
The virus is too small to make masks effective and people do not use them correctly. You have not outlined how this would be enforced.
To quote US Attorney General Bill Barr “The constitution doesn’t take a holiday, neither do civil liberties during a health crisis. Measures have to be balanced and tailored to meet the governments interests while still putting the least burden on rights”
How will this mandate be enforced? How will the people charged with determining if individuals are exempt be able to carry out that task? Will individuals not wearing a mask have to disclose their medical condition, mental health condition or disability? Or will they have to disclose they are deaf or hard of hearing? Right now in our community, people who don't wear a mask for valid reasons are ridiculed and shamed. Please do not cause further harm, discrimination and division. Vote no.
These are very reasonable and minimally obtrusive measures that can save lives, especially those who are most vulnerable in our community. It makes sense to enact these now, rather than having to shut things down in a few weeks when the cases get completely out of hand.
Wearing masks helps reduce shedding from people who don't know they are infected. I attended a city council meeting last week, and very few took the "personal responsibility" to wear a mask. If people don't feel safe wearing a mask in public, then they can stay home.
I oppose this resolution. Citizens should be able to decide for themselves if they wish to wear a mask. Businesses can chose to require masks, this should not be a government decision.
Let people decide for themselves if they feel the need to wear a mask in public. We also have the freedom of choice to stay home if we feel unsafe in public spaces. The virus is here to stay. We have to figure out how to do normal without living in and promoting a culture of fear.
The Brookings school district is requiring masks of our youngest residents when they are indoors. The Board of Regents is making the same requirement of our college students, faculty, and staff. This ordinance only asks for the rest of us to meet those same requirements. I think the rest of us can and should make that small sacrifice as well.
It always states that staff supports this measure. Who is staff? Have you asked all the staff? Or, is this just coming from the City Manager's office? After sitting on one of the Boards, that was always a question I had. Was it one person that put the resolution/action item together...or was it the leadership team? Also crazy, Covid doesn't spread when you are eating or drinking, at places of educaton, or worship...but all other places look out! No to Mask Mandates!
Businesses, restaurants, and bars don't matter if we have sick people in our hospitals. It doesn't matter if you think God gave you a right to not wear a mask, we are not trying to be a hotspot, like Sioux Falls a couple of months ago. Might I add we are predicted to become an outbreak city because we have failed to do the least, which is to wear a mask and comply with CDC recommendations. This is predicted by COVIDACTNOW.org. I am for mandated mask-wearing.
We have a moral responsibility to protect the vulnerable and a civic responsibility to protect the well-being of our community. Wearing a mask is a simple step we can take toward both of these actions, and a mandate will ensure that most residents participate in a basic activity that can save lives. Let’s make decisions to keep our K-12 kids in school and our college students in the classroom and community. Doing so also supports the financial well-being of the City of Brookings.
There is no need for a resolution when you already have an ordinance. And this resolution should not go into effect immediately. Citizens deserve a grace period. This should be a recommendation only.
Please issue a mask mandate! The numbers are going up, and ALL citizens should be protected.
Their may be a lot of blue their tonight, but the green people are trying to be smart and stay out of crowds.
We can either do nothing, or take action based on science to save lives.
Cole Sartell
These ordinances are about thinking of others and staying open. This pandemic has already had economic impact on our community. We should be doing everything possible to minimize the spread so that we can enjoy keeping businesses open. Wearing masks indoors when 6 ft. distance cannot be maintained is a consistent practice of communities that have successfully rebounded from significant spread of Covid-19. If we keep the rate of spread low, our hospitals won't overflow, and we remain open. Simple
My family and I are happy to take the step to wear a mask to protect our most vulnerable citizens. We also support those businesses that feel safest with masks in use and hope that a mandate can take some of the stress off folks who worry about being boycotted. We believe together is the best way to get through adversity!
We need to support the mask mandate to protect vulnerable populations. People with pre-existing health conditions and the elderly need to be protected. Also, we do not know the long term effects covid may have in younger populations. Wearing a mask is a small sacrifice that will help protect all members of our community.
This resolution will help curb the spread of this virus. It is a small thing to ask of people in order to protect others.
I cannot get the picture of the people who attended last week's City Council meeting without masks and disrespectfully ignoring social distance suggestions out of my head. Nor can I forget the comments made by Dr. VandeKop, a trained healthcare provider in our own community. Why would we not take the relatively simple step of wearing masks to potentially save lives, slow the spread and give us the ability to keep our businesses open as opposed to closing due to a surge of cases?
It is time to protect our health care workers who have been working 24/7 on the frontlines of this pandemic. Now that our community is in substantial spread of COVID-19 as well as the start of an influenza season, we need to take measures to keep our doctors and nurses healthy as they continue to provide care to the citizens of Brookings. Listen to the medical community. This won't last forever if we act now. What happens if the doctors, nurses and the those testing patients get ill?
I am urging you to amend Resolution 20-076 to read “recommend” instead of "require".
The virus is too small to make masks effective and people do not use them correctly. You have not outlined how this would be enforced.
To quote US Attorney General Bill Barr “The constitution doesn’t take a holiday, neither do civil liberties during a health crisis. Measures have to be balanced and tailored to meet the governments interests while still putting the least burden on rights”
How will this mandate be enforced? How will the people charged with determining if individuals are exempt be able to carry out that task? Will individuals not wearing a mask have to disclose their medical condition, mental health condition or disability? Or will they have to disclose they are deaf or hard of hearing? Right now in our community, people who don't wear a mask for valid reasons are ridiculed and shamed. Please do not cause further harm, discrimination and division. Vote no.
These are very reasonable and minimally obtrusive measures that can save lives, especially those who are most vulnerable in our community. It makes sense to enact these now, rather than having to shut things down in a few weeks when the cases get completely out of hand.
Wearing masks helps reduce shedding from people who don't know they are infected. I attended a city council meeting last week, and very few took the "personal responsibility" to wear a mask. If people don't feel safe wearing a mask in public, then they can stay home.
This is a personal decision not a government one
I oppose this resolution. Citizens should be able to decide for themselves if they wish to wear a mask. Businesses can chose to require masks, this should not be a government decision.
Let people decide for themselves if they feel the need to wear a mask in public. We also have the freedom of choice to stay home if we feel unsafe in public spaces. The virus is here to stay. We have to figure out how to do normal without living in and promoting a culture of fear.
The Brookings school district is requiring masks of our youngest residents when they are indoors. The Board of Regents is making the same requirement of our college students, faculty, and staff. This ordinance only asks for the rest of us to meet those same requirements. I think the rest of us can and should make that small sacrifice as well.
It always states that staff supports this measure. Who is staff? Have you asked all the staff? Or, is this just coming from the City Manager's office? After sitting on one of the Boards, that was always a question I had. Was it one person that put the resolution/action item together...or was it the leadership team? Also crazy, Covid doesn't spread when you are eating or drinking, at places of educaton, or worship...but all other places look out! No to Mask Mandates!