To require face coverings in public or not, that is the question.

The Athens City Council discussed the topic in a special-called meeting Thursday with only the discussion on the agenda. No vote on a decision was held at the meeting, which served more as a public hearing.

Mayor Ronnie Marks said a recent call covered by the city’s fire department was the driving force behind calling the meeting. He said city firemen had to enter someone’s home to aid a man in “very serious shape.” After helping the man, they learned a woman in the home had tested positive for the novel coronavirus.

“Thank goodness they had their gloves and masks, everything they needed,” Marks said.

He told the group at Thursday’s meeting that the city has had protocols relating to coronavirus in place for its employees since March. However, the city is now considering whether to put protocols in place for the public.

Limestone County has seen a surge in coronavirus cases, with 73 new confirmed cases and the first death from COVID-19 reported this week. Madison County, which is also facing a rise in cases, implemented a mask mandate this week that, with some exceptions, requires face coverings indoors, on public transit and in specific outdoor areas, according to The News Courier’s news partner, WAFF-48.

Decatur City Council voted 3-2 to pass a similar ordinance Wednesday but must re-vote Friday due to a procedural error, WAFF-48 reported.

According to the Alabama Department of Public Health, there have been more than 48,500 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Alabama since March 13, with more than 14,000 reported in the past two weeks. As of Thursday, there had been 1,042 coronavirus-related deaths in the state.

There are 574 confirmed cases in Limestone County, with 242 of those reported in the last two weeks.

Public opinion

After calling the meeting to order, Council President Frank Travis welcomed members of the public to express their opinions.

Though those opinions were split, residents who voiced opinions against a mask ordinance often received applause from the audience, while those in favor received none.

The first few residents who spoke were in favor of a mandated mask ordinance. One said he contracted COVID-19 in late February before the “leading edge” hit Alabama.

“I have had pneumonia. I have had the flu. But I have had nothing like this in my life,” he said. “It was horrible. I woke up several times not breathing. I had chills that were uncontrollable. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”

The next speaker likened concerns of catching COVID-19 to worries of contracting polio when he was young. He said a young relative of his was left paralyzed by the disease.

“We need to wear masks if we can’t stay 6 feet apart,” he said.

The third told a story about being barred from entering a restaurant for not wearing shoes or a shirt.

“Why do we have all these seemingly small and insignificant rules? These rules are made for your health and safety,” he said. “I support the masks. It means something to everyone’s life. The way I see it, if you don’t wear a mask, you’re not a good citizen.”

Some residents did not indicate whether they were for or against a mask ordinance; they simply voiced concerns.

One speaker asked how a potential mask ordinance would be enforced, while another asked if taxpayers would be funding the arrests of violators by the Athens Police Department.

When asked about potential enforcement, Athens Police Chief Floyd Johnson, who was unable to attend the meeting, said he would have to know the wording of the ordinance and what enforcement was expected before making a definite decision on how to go about things. However, Johnson said he would prefer things to keep things positive and operate the same as APD did during the initial stay-at-home order mandated by the state.

“Some places couldn’t be open, and if we got a report of a business doing something they weren’t supposed to, I would personally go and talk about what they could and couldn’t do but try to keep the business open and legal,” he said. “That went over very well. Other towns have (enacted a mask ordinance), but every place is different.”

Several citizens spoke out against a potential mask ordinance. One man said concerns surrounding COVID-19 were a “media-created frenzy” and questioned what right the Council would have to require residents to wear masks.

“What authority does Athens (City Council) or any other governing body have to infringe upon the rights of healthy, law-abiding citizens?” he said.

Another speaker said the decision on whether or not to wear a mask should be between themselves and the advice of their doctor.

“The Council doesn’t have the right to mandate everyone wear one,” she said.

“Young people aren’t going to wear them anyway,” said another speaker.

Medical opinion

The Council invited Dr. Paul Fry, the chief of staff at Athens-Limestone Hospital, to give his opinion on whether or not a mask ordinance would help slow the spread of COVID-19.

Fry said he was for an ordinance in Athens. He said when the coronavirus pandemic first began, Athens-Limestone Hospital was shut down and people were only admitted in medical emergencies.

During that time, the number of patients on ventilators went from three or four to zero, he said.

“Now we have opened the state back up, and the number of cases have rebounded,” Fry told those in attendance. “We now have eight COVID-19 positive patients at Athens-Limestone Hospital.”

Fry noted the mortality rate for the novel coronavirus has been 4.5%, compared to the Spanish flu, which had a mortality rate of 2.5%.

“If 80% of the population would wear masks, it would decrease the infection rate by 60%,” Fry said.

Fry explained the virus lives in drops of water from the lungs and can be transmitted when you “talk, sing or sneeze.” Wearing a mask stops a person from spreading those respiratory droplets to others, but it takes a more specialized mask like a N95 to protect yourself from contracting the virus, he said.

Fry also warned that those waiting on a vaccine for the virus could be waiting a long time.

“It may not ever happen,” he said.

Council opinion

Councilman Harold Wales said whether or not to enact a mask ordinance would be a “tough decision,” but that the Council was thinking about the safety of all residents.

He and Councilman Wayne Harper voiced concerns about enforcing such an ordinance.

“The people that would obey a mask mandate are the people that are already wearing masks,” Harper said. “I don’t know if an ordinance would make any difference. But it’s a hard issue, and I see both sides.”

Wales and Councilman Chris Seibert each spoke about doing research and getting data before making a decision. For Seibert, the most important opinion at the meeting was that of Fry, a medical doctor, and he planned to contact others he knew in the medical field to get their input before making a decision.

Seibert said doctors were more equipped to decide on a mask ordinance, as it is a public safety concern, not a political issue. He noted, however, that of all the people who have contacted him with an opinion on a potential mask ordinance, 3-to-1 were in favor.

As of Thursday, 44.3% of the deaths from COVID-19 in Alabama were from the Black community, despite Black residents only making up about 27% of the population, a fact Travis pointed out when sharing his thoughts on the ordinance. He said if you love your neighbor, you shouldn’t need a mandate to wear a mask.

“We already should be,” he said.

He said the United States is a country of “freedom” but also a “rule-based” country.

“If we make a rule, 80% (of residents) would follow it,” Travis said, adding he would try to make the best decision before a vote is held.

He encouraged others to “pray, and let your conscience move your decision.”

The Council did not discuss exactly when a vote on a potential mask ordinance will be held, merely saying it would be in the future. The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Council is 5:30 p.m. on July 20. A work session precedes each meeting at 5 p.m.