WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.— Facial masks became mandatory in West Lafayette on Monday.
Mayor John Dennis signed an emergency order tied to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, requiring people who are in public on the West Side to wear a mask inside businesses, including groceries, restaurants, pharmacies and hotels when not inside one's room, to name a few of the specific examples cited in the order.
In short, anytime people areoutside of their homes and cannot maintain a social distance of six feet from another person, they should wear a mask, Dennis said.
"It's when you cannot keep social distancing," Dennis said. "That is a rule of thumb set by the health department, and it's been applied across the country."
Coronvirus is not going to go away without a change of behavior, Dennis said. Social distancing and wearing a mask are two key behaviors that can overcome the virus, he said.
The emergency order cites the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which states that the virus is spread through respiratory water droplets expelled from infected peoplewhen theycough,sneeze or talk. The mask is intended to keep those droplets from being expelled.
"The ordinance is just sort of a reminder that, yes, this is a big deal," Dennis said.
Mask rules:What the West Lafayette mask mandate means for you
More importantly, Purdue has more than 44,000 students about to return to West Lafayette, so the emergency order is consistent with the Protect Purdue Plan, Dennis said.
The order cites the city's dense population, especially when Purdue University is in session, as well as the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention's recommendation that face masks be worn when outside of one's house and in situations where social distancing is difficult to maintain.
Nick DeBoer, a West Lafayette City Council member, said he was surprised that Dennis took action before the city council did. But he said he’d been pressing Dennis on a mask mandate, saying one was necessary.
In part, DeBoer said, that was because Purdue already had implemented a mandatory face covering policy as part of the Protect Purdue Plan, which covers the steps taken to reopen the West Lafayette campus for the fall 2020 semester.
“I think he's well within his authority to issue this, and we were ready to enact a substantially similar policy,” DeBoer said. “This policy is just common sense given the ongoing pandemic and goes hand-in-hand with policies the university insists it will be enforcing. Uniform rules will be good for everyone.”
For those who do notwear a mask,the emergency ordercarries a fine up to $100 for the first offense and up to $250 for subsequent offenses.
Dennis said he hoped the special order carried enough weight that business owners would enforce it and people will comply with it. But if necessary, a summons for a violation would be issued by the city's code enforcement officers,he said.
"Because the ordinance exists, there will be more people voluntarily complying," Dennis said.
The emergency order came as welcome news to Colleen Mathews, who— along withco-owner, Tim Butzen— have been enforcing a mandatory face mask order inside their shop,Fuel Coffee Shop in the 400 block of Northwestern Avenue in West Lafayette.
"I'm so glad to hear that," Mathews said. "It's created a burden on our baristas."
When someone ignored the Fuel Coffee Shop's policies, the baristas had to tell the would-be customer about the mask policies.
"It's a painless request," Mathews said.
"It's mildly uncomfortable to wear a mask," she said, noting one gets used to the mask.
"It's a pretty easy sacrifice to make if it saves a life," she said.
When it comes to restaurants, the city's emergency order mirrors the Fuel Coffee Shop's policy.
Basically, a person must wear a mask to enter the store. Once seated at a table, the customers may remove their mask, Mathews said. But if they get up to visit a someone at another table or to go to the restroom, they must put on their mask.
The emergency order does exempt some people from wearing masks — among a few of the reasons are those with cannot because of medical conditions, mental health conditions or developmentally disabled people, according to the order.
In Lafayette
Mandatory faces masks currently are not on the horizon for businesses on the east side of the Wabash River,Lafayette Mayor Tony Roswarski said, saying officials there keep an eye on the city's current COVID-19 developments.
"We're going to continue to monitor that, but I'm not ready to do that at this time," Roswarski said of the masks.
Roswarski said he continues to encourage people to wear masks, but he's not going to issue an order or use police officers to enforce a mask order. He doesn't believe the residents of the city would support that.
That doesn't prevent businesses from doing what they believe is prudent.
"Businesses can do that," Roswarski said of mask policies. "Theydon't need us to say there's a mandatory mask requirement to do it."
In Tippecanoe County
"I figure they're an important layer of protection," Tippecanoe County Commissioner Tracy Brown said, noting the county does not have plans to make mask wearing mandatory.
"I think it's difficult to enforce," Brown added.
READ THE ORDER: To read West Lafayette's mask policy, go to jconline.com and click on the link to this story.
Dave Bangert contributed to this report. Reach Ron Wilkins at 765-420-5231 or at rwilkins@jconline.com. Follow on Twitter: @RonWilkins2.
READ WEST LAFAYETTE MAYOR JOHN DENNIS' EMERGENCY ORDER:
