Two Pottawatomie County communities have implemented face mask ordinances of their own to help mitigate community spread of the coronavirus.
City officials in Wamego adopted an ordinance Tuesday which will remain in effect through Feb. 2. It requires masks be worn in all public spaces indoors or outdoors where six feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained. It exempts children under the age of 5 and those with medical or mental health conditions or a disability that prevents wearing of a face covering.
A violation of the ordinance results in an infraction, punishable by a $25 fine.
The Onaga City Council also passed a mask ordinance Tuesday which will remain in effect until Jan. 7, according to one city official. A link to that ordinance wasn’t available as of Wednesday afternoon as officials were still drafting the language of it.
The decisions by both communities come a week after the Pottawatomie County Commission decided to opt out of the governor’s statewide mask mandate, despite the pleas from the health department director and other medical communities. The county still strongly encourages masks be worn in all public spaces.
