COLLEGE STATION, TX — The City of College Station is mandating face coverings in business and public spaces following yet another record week of positive COVID-19 cases throughout the state of Texas.
College Station City Council offered its unanimous support for a citywide face-covering mandate during Thursday nights city council meeting.
“I believe that you have the authority and ability to mitigate further damages to our community and a failure to act would be a tragic error,” said College Station resident Brook Davis during the council meeting.
After a record-setting week of positive COVID-19 cases in Brazos county, citing the uptick in numbers, College Station Mayor Karl Mooney moved forward requiring the use of face masks in all businesses.
“Well of course the numbers speak for themselves,” says Mooney.
Per Governor Greg Abbott, enforcing the order is up to the businesses. The order comes with strict penalties for the businesses, a fine of $1000 per day.
“Businesses are the only ones that can be fined. As far as individuals are concerned, we can not fined individuals right now we cannot incarcerate them and that is not our intent,” says Mooney.
Mayor Mooney notes surrounding counties are also seeing an increase.
Harris County is in red alert, which makes this mask order critical as people are traveling.
“A Cisco truck, for example, comes up with food to take to a restaurant or to a hotel or whatever the delivery might be, what about that person who came from one of those more infected areas. How does that impact that job that somebody has here?”
Mayor Mooney strongly believes this mandatory mask mandate is necessary to protect the community and in order to see a decrease of COVID-19 throughout College Station as we approach the school year.
The order goes into effect Monday morning at 6 a.m and will end at 11:50 p.m. on July 10th.