City and county officials are not yet mandating the use of facemasks in public, though this will likely be part of the county’s next health order.
At a weekly press conference, Monroe County Health administrator Penny Caudill announced there will be a new health order in the next couple of weeks, and that it would go into effect no later than the end of July.
Caudill says the next health order is not yet finalized, but she wanted to allow people and businesses time to prepare for its implementation.
“We do need masks as a vital part of prevention. That is true whether we have a requirement for that or it’s recommended. That’s just a personal action we should all be taking.”
Caudill says many community members have spoken in favor of a mask mandate. The County Health Department has stressed the importance of individuals using facemasks to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the hope that a requirement wouldn’t be necessary.
She says the county will take people’s health conditions into account with any mask mandate, so that people could wear a face shield or other covering, if needed.
Caudill says officials are considering different ways that a mask requirement could be enforced and how noncompliance could be penalized.
Both Caudill and Bloomington Mayor John Hamilton say they are trying to coordinate, so that there are not different requirements in the city and county.
