Macon executive order encourages masks. Should the mayor mandate face coverings?

As COVID-19 cases rise at record rates across Middle Georgia and the rest of the state, cities are enacting mask requirements in the absence of a statewide mandate.

Middle Georgia mayors have largely rejected the idea of city or county-wide mask requirements, but that doesn’t mean they think wearing masks is a bad idea. Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert signed an executive order Thursday to urge people in the community to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines to prevent the spread of then coronavirus.

Although the executive order falls short of mandating Macon residents to follow certain guidelines, it serves as a reminder for resident and business owners of what they should do to protect themselves and others from COVID-19, Reichert said.

“I think that you don’t have to mandate what’s right for people here in Georgia. We are law abiding people. If you tell us what the law is and the circumstances and why, the vast majority will comply and try to do the right thing,” Reichert said.

The order reminds business owners that they have the right to require people to wear a mask when entering their establishments, and they should implement CDC guidelines as well, Reichert said.

State rules

One of the reasons the order does not require people to wear a mask in Macon is because Gov. Brian Kemp’s executive order prohibits cities and counties from taking measures that are more stringent than the state executive order, Reichert said.

“The second reason that this is not a mandate is that I think it would be difficult if not impossible to enforce, and I don’t think it would be much different than what this order does – to urge and request and implore people… to do what they need to do and for businesses to do what they need to do to slow the spread of COVID-19,” Reichert said.

Bibb County Sheriff David Davis said businesses and other places that are open to the public are best equipped to ensure that patrons or visitors wear masks.

“I can’t see a situation where we’re going to make an arrest for somebody not wearing a mask,” Davis said. “But we would strongly encourage them to wear them for their own safety.”

Kemp signed an executive order April 20 allowing some businesses to reopen while also prohibiting cities and counties from creating more strict rules, but some Georgia cities, such as Savannah and Atlanta, have issued mask mandates for residents.

“This is a delicate balance, and we’re trying to do our best to protect the public and our employees while we continue to provide essential government services and facilitate the reopening of the economy,” Reichert said.

Pushing for a mandate

Macon’s Claire Cox, president of the advocacy group Georgia Women (And Those Who Stand With Us), said Reichert’s order places the responsibility for requiring facial coverings on businesses, which are already struggling due to the pandemic.

“The mayor’s executive order moved a lot of the responsibility from our elected leaders onto our business community which is already in the midst of extreme difficulty right now in trying to be in business and do the right thing,” she said. “To put in off on their shoulders to also be the protectors of our community is shirking responsibility.”

Cox and others have called for a local mask mandate, since many people refuse to wear one.

“It is obvious going around Macon that people aren’t generally wearing masks when you go into place: depending on us to [wear a mask] has not worked. So we need our leadership to lead,” she said. “It is very widely known from all the reputable sources of scientific and epidemiology leaders in this country that we need to be wearing masks.”

Bibb County employees test positive

At a pre-commission meeting Tuesday with county commissioners, County Manager Keith Moffett reported to commissioners that Bibb County Recreation Department employees have tested positive for the COVID-19 virus.

The county has implemented measures to protect employees and the public, including making face masks available for employees, installing plastic shields around workstations and implementing a staggered work schedule, Reichert said.

“We’re all in this together. We all need to cooperate and do what’s the right thing to do without being mandated to do it,” he said. “Based on the information I have and the understanding of what the alternatives might involve, I think this is the right course of action for us to remind people of their individual responsibilities.”

If the situation with the coronavirus in Macon gets to a point where action is needed, Reichert believes the next step would be to ask the governor if Bibb County could implement more stringent restrictions rather than ordering them without permission, he said.

“It’s a fluid situation. It changes everyday, and certainly, we would try to change and monitor this and take additional steps if necessary, but not sure what those steps might be,” Reichert said.

The Telegraph’s Joe Kovac Jr. and Caleb Slinkard contributed to this story.

This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 1:55 PM.