Mayor Curry chooses to end the term of the Jacksonville mask

JACKSONVILLE, Florida. – Mayor Lenny Curry has chosen to allow Duval County’s mask term to expire this week.

Since June, Curry has maintained a mandate in force requiring anyone over the age of 6 to continue wearing a face mask or facial cover while in indoor public spaces, including employees and customers in city-wide companies – with certain exceptions. .

The mandate followed the guidance of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that, even after receiving the vaccine, people should wear masks to prevent the potential spread of COVID-19.

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“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the decisions I have made have been based on data. I worked with hospital leadership, researchers, emergency management and more to make decisions that will help keep our community safe. At this point, based on current data, I decided to suspend the mandate of the mask that requires masks to be used indoors, in public spaces, where you cannot be six meters away, ”said Curry in a statement.

Curry said that although he has decided to suspend the mandate, companies can still require customers to wear masks.

“This action demonstrates that we are one more step back to normal, but we are not there yet,” he said. “I encourage citizens to continue to take personal responsibility and to make choices that they think best protect themselves, their loved ones and neighbors. Wear a mask when you can’t distance yourself socially, wash your hands often, and if you’re eligible, I encourage you to get the vaccine. “

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News4Jax consulted with some local companies about their plans, now that the mask’s mandate has been lifted.

Brent Boger, whose family has owned a Five Points shoe store for more than 50 years, said it was a positive step, but since most of his customers are older, he plans to keep the mask on and will ask customers to do the same.

“As long as my customers feel more comfortable and secure, I will continue to do this just for them,” said Boger.

In bars, reactions were as varied as cocktails, with some bartenders telling us they will continue to demand masks and others saying no.

Winn-Dixie supermarkets plan to continue to demand masks, but the public library is a city building, so you won’t have to wear a mask there or at City Hall. But it is highly recommended that you continue to do so anyway.

Jessica Beckford, BB’s restaurant and bar manager in San Marco, says customers will still be required to wear masks when entering the restaurant. She says her employees will continue to use them while working.

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“We will continue to do what we are doing, regardless of the end of the mask’s term,” said Beckford. “We want to make sure that we are keeping our masks on to keep everyone safe.”

Michael Dowie, the general manager of the Shim Sham Room in Jacksonville Beach, says his customers and employees no longer need to wear masks.

“We are still practicing security measures, you know, make sure everything is clean,” said Dowie.

According to data released Friday by the Florida Department of Health, 2,033,179 people in the state tested positive for COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic, and 33,116 residents and visitors died from the virus.

In Duval County, 92,022 people were diagnosed with coronavirus until Friday, and 1,287 people died.

Across the state, 5,475,209 people have been vaccinated so far – 214,200 of them in Duval County.

Dr. Elizabeth Ransom of Baptist Health said that while the number of COVID-19 cases is declining and more people are being vaccinated, the virus has not disappeared and the masks are unlikely to disappear.

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“It is really becoming a kind of race between the vaccine and the variants,” said Ransom. “So I think that we should keep our watch and continue to wear a mask.

The Duval County Medical Society said:

“While we understand that the mask’s mandate for Duval County has expired, the Duval County Medical Society and its Foundation strongly encourage continued social detachment, mask use and hand washing as ways to mitigate the spread of COVID19. We also encourage all individuals to receive a COVID-19 vaccination as soon as you are eligible, in order to keep you and our entire community safe as we approach the end of the pandemic. “

Florida has never instituted a statewide masking mandate and Governor Ron DeSantis has blocked local governments from enforcing their masked mandate rules.

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While there was no enforcement power under the Jacksonville mandate, some companies said it gave them something to turn to when customers disagreed with the policy.

DeSantis announced on Thursday that it was expanding the vaccine’s availability to anyone aged 40 and over in the state as of Monday, and that any adult can receive the vaccine from April 5.

The Fernandina Beach City Commission voted on March 2 to extend its mask term until April 7. It will be reviewed at its next meeting on April 6. News4Jax found no other local city with a current masking mandate in place.