Blair City Council votes against mask mandate

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There will be no mask mandate in Blair.

The Blair City Council voted 7-1 Thursday to disapprove a proposed ordinance, which would have required all individuals age 5 and older to wear a mask while in indoor public places within the city. Council member Jon Stewart voted against the motion.

Blair becomes one of the few cities in the Omaha metro area that won't be requiring people to wear masks in public places to curb the spread of coronavirus.

The council's decision drew applause from many of those in the audience who were against the mandate.

Stewart spoke out after the vote, saying he was in favor of the ordinance and wearing masks.

“If I believe this can help one person from getting it, I'm going to do it,” he said.

Council member Kevin Hall said he believed it was a tough issue for all involved.

“I, personally, will wear the mask, but I'm not for a mandate. I'm not for telling people you have to wear a mask,” he said.

Council member Mindy Rump agreed.

“I personally mask. I'm a small business owner. I choose to mask, but it is not my right to tell everybody else what they should do. I am the voice of Ward 3 and the people have spoken so I would not have voted for this mandate," she said.

However, she did encourage people to wear masks.

Thursday's vote followed a nearly two-hour public hearing on the mandate which drew a standing room only overflow crowd at the Blair Public Library and Technology Center.

More than two dozen people, including residents from Blair, Fort Calhoun Tekamah, Omaha, Papillion and Bellevue, spoke for and against the issue.

Many of those who spoke against the mandate said it would take away their freedoms.

Megan Swope, a Blair resident who organized an informal petition against the mandate, said she would stand up and support people's choice, whether it was to wear a mask or not wear a mask.

“What I will not support is a mayor, a city council or any other body of government mandating that choice for us,” she said.

State Sen. Ben Hansen, who represents District 16 and lives in Blair, asked the council to use a piece of advice he received from a senior state senator after joining the Legislature.

“Err on the side of liberty, err on the side of the individual,” he said. “Whether you're unsure of how to vote or what to do and your heart is torn, sometimes you just need to err on the side of the individual and trust them.”

Others worried about the effects the mandate would have on small businesses.

Kevin Barnhill, owner of KB Quality Meats, was concerned about having to pay for personal protective equipment for his staff in a year when small businesses have already taken a hit.

“Who is going to pay for that?” he said. “That's an additional cost. Like every other small business, I'm getting hammered right and left in this pandemic. Yet, now you're wanting as a small town to throw on another regulatory environment?”

Manuela Banner, president and CEO of Memorial Community Hospital and Health System, advocated for the mask mandate.

“From my role as the hospital president, I deal with nurses every day who are afraid of getting sick. I deal with the public and there is a lot of fear there,” she said.

Numbers of COVID-19 patients rise and fall, Banner said. But what she wants to prevent is where the hospital cannot take care of the patients that come to them because of increasing cases.

Lori Davidson, who works at Carter Place where there was an outbreak of COVID-19, spoke in favor of the mandate.

“We have been fighting this virus for way too many months. Our community has felt the full impact of this pandemic. We realize any effort to slow down the spread could have a great impact on our population and all of our citizens of Blair,” she said. “We have been working hard to keep our residents and our staff safe, but without the support of our community, it's an uphill battle.”

Blair resident David Johnson urged the use of masks and other measures to help prevent the spread.

“Do these (masks) work? One hundred percent, you've heard from everybody, no. Not even close. But do they help? Yes,” he said. “Does the hand sanitizer work? One hundred percent, no. Not even close. But does it help? Yes.”

Both sides agreed they have faced discrimination, whether it be for wearing a mask or not wearing a mask.

Lisa Kelly, a Blair resident and business owner, became emotional as she explained what she has faced when wearing a mask.

“Don't hate the person who wears a mask. Don't hate the person who doesn't wear a mask,” she said. “But really come together as a community and understand we are in this together whether we support masks or we don't support masks. Support the people and their decisions.”