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PHOENIX – A member of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors said he is ready to rethink the county’s facial mask mandate, now that COVID-19’s numbers have dropped.
“I told many of my constituents last month that I believe and support that it is time for a reassessment of this policy and to allow the use of a mask to be voluntary and not mandatory,” District 2 supervisor Steve Chucri said in a newsletter Tuesday.
Chucri, who is also president and CEO of the Arizona Restaurant Association, revealed in the newsletter that he is one of more than 800,000 people in the state who have hired COVID-19.
“This virus is very serious. I know firsthand why I was one of the many Arizonans who owned it, ”he said.
“Fortunately now, our families, friends and neighbors are receiving vaccines from the state, the county and our partners at a steady pace.”
One of four Republicans on the five-member council, Chucri said the county’s average daily coronavirus case count dropped to about 400, close to what it was in May 2020 and just a fraction of the January increase above 6,000.
The Board of Supervisors voted unanimously to approve the mandate for the Phoenix metropolitan area on June 19, 2020, two days after Arizona Governor Doug Ducey gave local jurisdictions the authority to regulate facial coverage in response to the pandemic. of the coronavirus.
“If this policy is revised in the future, many people can and will still choose to wear masks and companies will continue to have the right to implement their own mask policies,” said Chucri. “Some did it even before this action last year.”
Maricopa County face mask regulations are the minimum required in the Valley.
According to the county order, people over the age of 6 must wear masks that cover their mouth and nose in enclosed public spaces, where 6 feet apart cannot be kept. There are several exceptions, including eating and drinking.
Some cities in the county, including Phoenix, have their own masking mandates that would not be affected if Maricopa County suspended its requirement. Gilbert was among the suburbs that let his mask order expire, opting to postpone county regulations on the matter.
A bill proposed in the Arizona Legislature would allow companies to ignore the masks’ mandates.
More than 130 doctors from across the state signed a letter urging lawmakers to reject the Republican-backed bill, saying it would lead to another increase in COVID-19 cases and cause unnecessary deaths.