Winona City Council meeting from Jan. 18.
WINONA, Minn. (KWNO)-A member of the Winona City Council called on leaders to consider re-instituting the city’s mask mandate.
Third Ward Representative Pam Eyden cited other cities and entities in the region that have brought their mask requirements back. She said the virus will not be put down if residents continue going without face coverings in public.
“There’s only a few places in town I go that I see that people are really wearing masks,” Eyden said during the council concerns portion of the recent council meeting. “I think that we would have an immediate impact on our sickness level if we did have a mask mandate.”
Mayor Scott Sherman, who issued an emergency mask mandate that was struck down hours later by the council last year, pointed out cities that brought their mask mandates back have strong mayoral systems that allow for enforcement of mandates beyond 72 hours.
“If certain councilmembers that voted against it were to come to me with the desire to move forward on a mask mandate and/or the chamber of commerce and/or some of the business leaders in our community I would seriously consider it again,” Sherman said.
Eyden, along with Councilwoman Eileen Moeller, attended the meeting over Zoom. Moeller shared she had recently tested positive for COVID-19.
Rochester, Duluth, Minneapolis, and St. Paul are among several cities in Minnesota to bring back masking requirements. Masks are required indoors at Winona State University, Winona Area Public Schools, as well as at health care settings.
Winona County has eclipsed 10,000 cases since the pandemic began. 66 residents have died of COVID over that span, according to the Minnesota Department of Health.
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