Last Friday, the Lawton City Council voted 6-1 during a special meeting to require people to wear facemasks in public indoor settings as a way to combat the spread of the deadly and uncontained COVID-19 novel coronavirus. The lone dissent came from Councilman Sean Fortenbaugh, Ward 6, who was unavailable for comment Saturday.
Passage of the facemask ordinance was crucial to the community, Lawton City Mayor Stan Booker said.
“It’s important to stop the spread (of the virus),” said the mayor. “We had 12 doctors there (at Friday’s meeting). Some were Republican, and some were Democrat, and they were all for it.”
Mayor Booker did state that he had received one email from a doctor who opposed the mask mandate.
The city council’s top goal is to address public health and safety, said the mayor. At the same time, keeping the local economy flowing and businesses open is another high priority for Lawton’s leaders.
“We’ve taken what we hope is the only step we’ll need to take,” he said. “We certainly want to keep the economy open. Nobody wants to go back to where we were in March with the shutdown.”
The mayor also emphasized that the city council is not trying to stifle anyone’s freedoms or rights.
“This situation is important, but we’re not going to keep this going any longer than we have to,” he said. “We will monitor this thing every day just like we did in March when we actually lifted the stay-at-home order 10 days early.”
The ordinance, which went into effect immediately, requires facemasks to cover the nose and mouth when people are inside any building open to the public or utilizing public transit.
Exceptions to Lawton’s mask mandate include children under six years of age; people dining, drinking or seated inside a restaurant; and drivers. Drivers do not need to wear a mask if they are alone in their vehicle or if they are transporting passengers from their household.
Mayor Booker said the ordinance will also require Lawton churchgoers to wear a mask when singing at church.
“There are a lot of droplets going in the air when people are singing,” he said. “Churches are one of the seven hotspots, and I think the churches are trying to do the right thing.”
The stage for the final showdown was set during the council’s regularly scheduled meeting July 14 when a group of physicians from Comanche County Memorial Hospital urged the council to approve the mask mandate.
City officials said they intend to enforce the ordinance with a verbal or written warning for the first infraction and will issue $100 tickets afterwards. The ordinance states the city may “pursue any other legal remedy to obtain compliance.”
Lawton’s mask ordinance does not list a specific expiration date. It is expected to remain in effect until Oklahoma Governor Kevin Stitt terminates the state’s emergency declaration regarding COVID-19 or it is repealed or amended.
Last week, just days after his visit to Lawton to meet with community leaders and discuss economic development initiatives, Gov. Stitt announced that he himself had tested positive for the coronavirus.
Brandie Combs, regional director for the Oklahoma State Department of Health, told the council during that meeting that asymptomatic persons could easily expose the virus to thousands of unsuspecting Lawton residents.
“This is a pandemic we’ve never faced before,” Combs told the council. “Asymptomatic cases can spread as easily as symptomatic cases.”
Combs and the physicians told the council that people should exercise a change in their behavior by wearing masks while considering the health of their neighbors.
For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that clear up within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and those with existing health conditions, the highly contagious virus can cause severe symptoms and be fatal.
Attending the meeting, Lawton resident Albert Rivas Jr. said hearing medical professionals helped him understand the importance of wearing masks.
“It all comes down to caring for one another and putting aside personal opinion,” Rivas said. “I know Lawton will once again lead the way in safety first.”
In Altus, the city council chose to require facemasks in public settings such as restaurants, churches, retail stores and bars. Those who are unable to wear a mask because of medical needs or disabilities are exempt from the new ordinance, which was approved July 14.
Altus bars are required to close by 10 p.m. and must not exceed 25% capacity, according to the ordinance. In addition, restaurants cannot exceed 50% of their normal capacity and must conform to all social distancing and sanitation recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Gov. Stitt has refused to issue a statewide mask mandate, but has given cities, counties and private businesses the latitude to implement their own mask policies.
Comanche County Commissioners are requiring anyone who enters the courthouse to wear masks, and the City of Lawton imposed the mask mandate for its indoor city-owned properties.
Meanwhile, Fort Sill requires masks in high-traffic public places, such as the commissary and Post Exchange. Commanders also have the discretion to designate additional places where they may be required.
A mask mandate is in effect at Great Plains Technology Center, and Cameron University announced it would require everyone on campus to wear masks beginning Aug. 3. Lawton Public Schools officials are still considering their options, but could require masks in many situations when school is expected to resume on Aug. 21.