This morning, Coffee County Mayor Gary Cordell released a statement regarding the requirement of protective face masks. Last week, Governor Bill Lee issued Executive Order 54, placing the authority to require face masks in the hands of individual county mayors.
Cordell states, “As everyone would agree, we are living in unprecedented times in the history of our nation. We all have our own ideas as to the best path to move forward. The medical and scientific professionals have many differing opinions as to how to combat this virus. As Mayor of Coffee County, I don’t feel I have the legal or constitutional authority to mandate the use of face masks upon our citizens. I know some will disagree with this decision. The citizens of our great county are intelligent enough to make that decision for themselves.”
Cordell mentioned in his statement that he was “very concerned about the safety of our citizen,” including senior citizens and individuals with underlying medical conditions, “but our citizens have the right to make the decision to wear masks if they deem necessary.”
“I suggest we simply adhere to a good neighbor policy and wash our hands, social distance, and I highly recommend we wear face masks in public. We continue to have periodic emergency management team meetings to assess the situation in our county. We will keep our citizens informed. Together we will get through this. Continue to pray for our county, state, and nation. God Bless America,” Cordell’s statement closes.