At a public meeting in September, the Alexandria City Council voted to pass an ordinance that requires individuals in Alexandria to wear face masks in public spaces, including outdoors.
In the ordinance, public spaces is defined as any indoor space other than personal residences and vehicles and any outdoor spaces where proper physical distancing of six feet cannot be maintained between members of different households.
During the meeting concerns over enforcing compliance were raised by City staff and City Council members. The proposed civil penalty of a $100 fine was removed from the ordinance. Instead, voluntary compliance and the offering of free face mask for anybody in violation is emphasized.
The state-wide requirement to wear face masks indoors as mandated by Governor Northam would remain enforceable.
Six members of the public voiced opposition to the ordinance saying it was unnecessary, dehumanizing, ineffective and creating a culture of fear and divisiveness as well as causing harm for businesses and mental health. They also did not see a point in passing an ordinance considering the majority of Alexandrians have complied with wearing masks, anyway.
A health expert in the meeting said that studies show masks can reduce transmission of COVID-19.
There are many exemptions to the mask requirement including children under 10 years of age (unless required by the Commonwealth), those with certain medical conditions, individuals engaging in physical activity or eating or drinking.
Masks are also not required if hazardous in certain work conditions or participating in religious rituals.
The council added language to the ordinance under the physical activity exemption to clarify that individuals running or biking outdoors were not required to wear a mask.
Two member of City Council, Councilman Canek Aguirre and Councilwoman Redella 'Del' Pepper, voted against the ordinance citing difficulty of enforcement and advocated reinforcing and continuing education on mask wearing instead.
