SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO.com) — The stage is set for a close vote on a mask mandate for the City of Sioux Falls, a controversial measure meant to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The council passed a first reading of a mask mandate ordinance Tuesday, setting up a final vote at the body’s next meeting on Tuesday, November 10. Put forward by Councilors Curt Soehl and Rick Kiley, it would mandate mask wearing in enclosed facilities, mainly indoors.
Soehl compared the proposed mandate to laws against smoking in public places, saying if someone can’t smoke in a certain place, they would probably need to wear a mask. He said South Dakota’s recent surge in COVID-19 cases and the resulting stress on hospitals necessitated the move.
Children under five, people eating or drinking, those receiving medical care, or those “with a medical condition, mental health condition, or disability that makes it unreasonable for the individual to maintain a face covering” would not be required to wear masks under the ordinance.
Soehl said he plans to propose a $50 fine to the city attorney as penalty for violating the ordinance. He said law enforcement should use discretion and not jump to prosecute minor violations.
South Dakota has the highest coronavirus test positivity rate in the nation at 50.6%, according to the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. Area hospital administrators say they’re feeling the strain from a surge in COVID-19 patients as the pandemic worsens.
The first reading of the mask mandate ordinance passed 7-1; Councilor Greg Neitzert was the only “no” vote. He said a mandate would not do much to slow the spread of the virus, and that individual people and families should make their own decisions about whether or not to wear a mask.
Councilor Christine Erickson voted to move the ordinance along “as a courtesy,” but said she does not support the mandate. Erickson said wearing a mask “does not provide the level of security that folks think that it does.”
Councilor Pat Starr said he supported the ordinance, adding he wasn’t sure a mask mandate went far enough. Pointing to the recent surge in hospital patients, he said “it’s time to act” to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Councilor Marshall Selberg, a potential swing vote on November 10, declined to give his opinion on the ordinance. Selberg said he had been in touch with constituents who expressed good arguments on both sides.
If Selberg votes against the mandate, that could set up a 4-4 deadlock in the council vote, which would prompt Mayor Paul TenHaken to break the tie. TenHaken has said he is against the ordinance, which he says is unenforceable.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends Americans wear masks in public to slow the spread of the coronavirus. South Dakota’s top hospitals and state medical association started a #MaskUpSoDak campaign to encourage the practice, but stopped short of recommending a mandate.
