Councilmember Jessica Kolterman described the crowd at the Oct. 20 Seward City Council meeting as one of the larger ones she'd seen. Late arrivals had to set up their own folding chairs in the back of the Civic Center basement. Most of them were there to talk about face coverings.
For 45 minutes the council hosted a discussion about face coverings that originated from a citizen request that the council draft and approve an amendment making face coverings mandatory in all public places and businesses in Seward.
Nancy Kahl of Seward made the request in an Oct. 15 email to the city of Seward, which granted her the opportunity to speak. She used an easel to hold an oversized notepad with pages documenting the spread of the coronavirus, its spread rate and the latest public health catchphrase of the three Cs – avoid crowded areas, avoid confined spaces and avoid close contact.
On Oct. 20, the Four Corners Health District's risk dial was at its highest point since establishment, set at 2.50 and firmly in the “high” (orange) risk area. Confirmed cases in the district rose to 1,228 as of Oct. 20, which was 471 more than the district confirmed two weeks before. Seward County accounts for the largest share of confirmed cases in the district, with 422 as of the Oct. 19 update.
In closing, Kahl urged the council to take action.
“We elected you to keep our community safe and not doing so goes against your civic duty,” she said.
Members of the public voiced their opposition to the possible mandate. Julie McMeekin said that face coverings have caused pneumonia in adults and impetigo, a common and contagious skin infection seen mostly in young children. Kristi Ideus read a piece she claimed was authored by Gov. Pete Ricketts about why he hasn't imposed this directed health measure across the state.
During a brief decision about legality, one woman said Berry Law and Mattson Ricketts Law Firm have brought litigation against the City of Lincoln, which require face coverings in all public establishments.
“It's not worth it to protect someone at the risk of losing freedoms,” Ideus said.
Ideus also said those who choose to not wear masks are already ridiculed in stores and are shamed. Darrell Zabrocki agreed and suggested council members subject themselves to such ridicule and that an ordinance would be government overreach and unneccessary.
Teri Hobson spoke about the effects the spread of coronavirus and restrictive health measures had on her business, TNT Kountry Krafts and Boutique. Her business implemented an online store to offset losses sustained during the initial restrictive health measures. She said she's fearful of closing altogether, like the six other empty storefronts on her block, she said.
Tom Rief, owner of Sparetime Lounge, said his staff has continued to wear masks since businesses reopened in April. He cited his estimated losses and an added burden of enforcement upon his staff as he urged the council not to draft an ordinance.
“I have problems enough making sure they're old enough to drink,” he said. “It's unfair to my staff to ask them to enforce that on people.”
Danna Seevers agreed with those who spoke before her, saying there's been an increase in cases because of testing availability. This brought audible “yeses” voices from the crowd and an attempted applause after Seevers finished.
One member of the public used a majority of her allowed five minutes to read directly from the Great Barrington Declaration, a coalition of health professionals who wrote for fewer restrictions in order to build herd immunity. That plan has been publicly supported by the White House but publicly condemned by Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, director-general of the World Health Organization, and Dr. Anthony Fauci, U.S. infectious disease expert. The town of Great Barrington, Massachusetts, which the declaration has been named after, also distanced itself from the coalition.
Councilmembers Chris Schmit, Kolterman and Mayor Josh Eickmeier, thanked members of the public for their feedback and engagement. All three shared their concerns for an ordinance. The council took no action.
