How State College’s COVID-19-related ordinance was extended, tweaked by Borough Council
State College’s COVID-19-related ordinance that compelled mask-wearing and limited gatherings has been extended with a few tweaks, after the borough council unanimously voted for the changes Monday night.
The ordinance, which was scheduled to expire by the end of January, will now expire May 31 or whenever emergency declarations are rescinded by the state Department of Health and the Centre Region Council of Governments — whatever comes first. Residents and visitors must now also start wearing masks inside gyms and fitness centers, and those taking part in indoor recreational activities must don masks.
Those who violate the ordinance, the first iteration of which was passed in August, can still be fined $300.
Among the other changes and clarifications to the ordinance:
- Masks not necessary if working alone: Those “working alone,” when a person is isolated from others, do not need to wear a mask. Examples include a lone worker inside the closed cab of a crane or a person by themselves in an office with four walls and a door.
- Social distancing not enough at private businesses: Based on the past ordinance, individuals in private offices or private business locations didn’t previously need to wear masks when the public was not present and a distance of at least six feet was maintained. That exception was eliminated from the tweaked ordinance, meaning masks must now be worn while working indoors unless working alone.
- Reminder letters sent to grocery stores: This wasn’t part of the ordinance but was instead an informal request made by Councilman Peter Marshall and agreed to by assistant borough manager Tom King. Concerned by the number of grocery shoppers without masks, Marshall asked that letters be sent to those businesses to remind them that they could call the borough if someone wasn’t wearing a mask — and officials would then be dispatched to see if the offending party had a legitimate excuse.
The ordinance’s biggest debate centered on athletics and what deserved an exception for mask-wearing and what didn’t. What about State High basketball, for example? Should the borough enforce mask-wearing at games? Could it?
Borough manager Tom Fountaine wasn’t entirely sure whether the borough had jurisdiction since school districts are subject to state law — not necessarily a borough ordinance that differs from state law. But the point was eventually found moot when a member of the school board texted Council President Jesse Barlow, informing him the district planned to require masks for all spectators, coaches and bench players. (But not players actively participating.)
That explanation appeared to satisfy Council, none of whom objected prior to the unanimous vote.
The State College Borough Council originally passed its COVID-19-related ordinance in early August, ahead of Penn State classes resuming in the fall. It compelled mask-wearing at all times publicly indoors and when social-distancing couldn’t be observed outdoors; it also limited gatherings at residences (inside or outside) to 10 while restricting outdoor gatherings on municipal property to 25.
According to a borough spokesperson, about 100 citations have been issued since August.
State College’s next borough council meeting is 7 p.m. Monday, while its next work session is 11:15 a.m. Friday.
This story was originally published January 5, 2021 at 11:40 AM.
