The Door County Board of Supervisors will consider a county-wide recommendation or mandate of face coverings at a special meeting Friday at 9 A.M., according to an agenda for the meeting posted on the county website Wednesday.
The board will discuss whether such a measure would fall within the powers and duties of the local health officer or county board; whether it would protect public health; whether it would be practical to implement; whether it is enforceable; and how the public would react.
The meeting comes after Door County Public Health reported Wednesday that the total number of COVID-19 cases in the county now has risen to 52. Eight of those cases are active. Three people in the county have died of COVID-19.
County supervisor Kara Counard, who represents the towns of Gardner and Nasewaupee, said she would want to know the specifics of any possible face covering measure before deciding how to vote.
Cournard said she is most concerned about employees at essential businesses who don’t have as much choice in the extent to which they are exposed to COVID-19. She also suggested that the board consider a limit on the size of public gatherings, such as weddings.
Counard said she’s hopeful that people would comply with any measure the board enacts.
“I trust the science that comes out, but it seems like a lot of people take their opinion from the federal government down, and it seems like there’s not a lot of support that way,” Counard said.
“I just don’t see any negative to wearing a mask,” she added.
Counard said she’s unsure how she would feel about a face covering mandate that included penalties for non-compliance, noting that low-income residents might not be able to afford any possible fines.
Dane County on Tuesday became the first Wisconsin county to enact a mask mandate, which goes into effect Monday and will remain in effect until further notice.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization recommend that individuals wear cloth face coverings when they are in public settings where they cannot reliably maintain six feet of distance from others at all times.