Outside urban areas, officials reluctant to pass mask mandates

When Gov. Bill Lee gave county mayors the authority to issue mask mandates in the midst of a rising number of statewide COVID19 cases, the response from both the public and the mayors themselves was an assortment of immediate implementations, shrugs, and outright dismissals. In areas outside of the larger cities in Tennessee, a seemingly unfavorable public opinion regarding masks is particularly pronounced

Mask mandates are in effect in counties that hold the largest cities in the state, including Davidson County (home to Nashville), Shelby County (home to Memphis), and Knox County (home to Knoxville). In western and Middle Tennessee, Robertson County, Williamson County, and Madison County also require masks.

But even within the announcement of the mask mandate in Madison County was an acknowledgement that many Tennesseeans don’t think masks are effective or necessary. When Jackson-Madison County Regional Health Department Director Kim Tedford issued the order, she noted that she knew a lot of people might dislike and disagree with the rule, but the rising number of cases warranted it. “I’ve got family members who don’t think we need to wear a mask,” she said, The Jackson Sun reported.

Those sentiments are reflected in the mask requirements of other counties. Effective July 8, Montgomery County has a mandate requiring that employees of businesses open to the public wear masks. However, members of the community who are patronizing such businesses are only “encouraged” to wear masks.

Read more: https://tennesseelookout.com/2020/07/15/outside-urban-areas-officials-reluctant-to-pass-mask-mandates/