The Monroe Couty Board of Health voted to extend the county-wide mask mandate through Oct. 31 during its Wednesday meeting.
Public comments focused on whether the mask mandate discriminates against people with communication disorders, and whether churches could be eligible for an exemption. However, the board said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommendations on indoor masking, as well as current vaccination rates, do not warrant new exemptions.
Board member Stephen Pritchard said everyone is inconvenienced by the pandemic, but some people are impacted more than others.
“The fact is the virus doesn’t care if someone is disabled, they also don’t care whether we’re in church," Pritchard said. "It doesn’t care about anything except replicating itself and spreading.”
Monroe County is currently in the “orange” advisory level.If it falls into the ‘blue’ advisory level the mandate will expire.
READ MORE: Monroe County's Weekly COVID Cases Per 100,000 Resdients Ticks Up From 200 To 204
In order to become official, the Monroe County Board of Commissioners must approve the extension at its meeting on Sept. 29.
