Key West issues a stricter mandatory mask law as COVID-19 cases rise
The city of Key West on Monday ordered everyone over age 6 to wear face coverings whenever they leave their homes — even if they are able to maintain social distancing outside.
Violating the directive could lead to a misdemeanor charge and possible jail time, city spokeswoman Alyson Crean said.
The order comes in response to the dramatic rise of reported COVID-19 cases in the Florida Keys over the past several days, including a record daily number over the weekend.
“We have limited medical support on this small island, and the counties north of us are major national hot spots,” said City Manager Greg Veliz. “Please, everyone, take personal responsibility and wear a mask.”
People, however, do not have to wear masks while in their cars or on their boats, according to an exception in the new order.
Also, this new rule doesn’t apply to people who work in offices not open to the public.
Since June 26, the city has had a mandatory mask law, but this new amendment makes it tougher on an island where the issue is dividing people.
“The number of infections has increased dramatically since adoption of the face coverings ordinance,” the order points out.
The Keys now have 611 confirmed cases and six deaths. Key West, the most populous city in the island chain, has by far the highest case count at 235 on Monday.
The city is responding to people who won’t voluntarily keep their masks on in public, Veliz said.
“If you believe that’s the way to stop the spread, and we do and the experts do, then we have to make it mandatory,’ said Veliz, who signed the new order Monday morning along with Mayor Teri Johnson.
In Key West, it’s not uncommon to see people entering stores without masks or pulling them down to have a conversation with the cashier.
The new mask requirement could help increase compliance, said City Commissioner Clayton Lopez.
“I know too many people who come in my face with this, ‘Oh it’s a hoax and it’s not so important,’ ” said Lopez. “I’m so tired of that freaking argument. I’m all in favor of the full mandatory thing, even though I’m not ordinarily with mandatory anything.”
Restaurant diners in Key West may still remove masks while seated in order to eat and drink.
The Keys were stunned Saturday, when the state added 74 new cases of COVID-19.
But that total was over a two-day period, from Thursday to Friday, Department of Health in Monroe County Administrator Bob Eadie said. He said he gave his department’s epidemiologist a day off, causing the report to include two days.
That 74 figure is still more than twice the two-day total of any previous reporting period.
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 2:06 PM.
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