DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — City leaders in Daytona Beach voted 6 to 1 Friday to require masks in indoor spaces, as concerns about new coronavirus cases grows.
What You Need To Know
- Everyone over 2 would be required to wear a mask inside if social distancing wasn't possible
- Volusia County saw 140 new cases Thursday
- RELATED: New COVID Cases Shatter Record at Nearly 9,000; Drinking Alcohol at Bars Banned
Spectrum News got a draft of a face covering resolution ahead of the emergency city commission meeting to discuss the issue.
It states everyone over 2 years old will be required to wear face coverings indoors within Daytona Beach, where social distancing was not occurring. However there are also many exceptions as well, like for people who have medical conditions that would prevent them from wearing one.
It also excludes people who do not work face-to-face with others, and those who are able to maintain proper distancing while indoors.
The rule goes into effect on Sunday, June 28 at 12:01 a.m. Warnings will be issued through July 15 to those who do not comply. After that, fines may be issued.
Reactions to this potential resolution are very mixed. The owner of Sweet Marlays Coffee Shop on Beach street does not support making masks mandatory, regardless of exceptions.
“I think if people are in a risk category and uncomfortable going out, then they should stay home or they can have somebody else go out for them, or they can mask," said Tammy Kozinski, who said she does not wear a mask due to asthma.
"But to make it a requirement for everybody and then not enforce it because there are reasons you can’t enforce, it it just seems like virtue signaling to me.”
Florida issued a public advisory earlier this month encouraging everyone to wear masks in public when they can't social distance. Volusia County also urged residents to wear masks during a news conference Friday, but said it was not instituting a mask mandate because they say it is difficult to enforce.
The county saw 140 new cases Thursday, the largest single day record for Volusia so far. The county has a 6.5 percent positivity rate.