With decreasing COVID cases, Centre County municipalities revisit masking rules
The COVID-19 pandemic isn’t over, but cases in Centre County have been decreasing, causing some municipalities to revisit their masking rules.
During the week Feb. 17-23, there were 274 COVID-19 cases in Centre County, 65 fewer than the previous seven days. As of Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Centre County’s transmission rate is “high” and recommended masks be worn while at public, indoor settings.
Bellefonte Borough Council voted 6-2 during Tuesday’s meeting to revise the borough buildings and properties mask requirement from mandatory to optional beginning with the March 1 council meeting.
Council members Deborah Cleeton and Shawna McKean voted against it; council member Joanne Tosti-Vasey was absent. Cleeton said the CDC still recommends masks be worn indoors. Plus, the manager’s report and police chief’s report both indicated some borough employees were out with the virus, she said.
“So as long as that situation continues, I feel a responsibility to not make it any worse than it is until the transmission rate is lower,” Cleeton said.
Cleeton and McKean also said they didn’t want to risk bringing the virus into their homes and infecting their family by attending a meeting with maskless people. Other council members who voted to change the requirement agreed and said they didn’t want to risk that either, but said those who weren’t feeling well could participate virtually.
“I don’t want to carry anything home. But again, I don’t want to make myself sick trying to talk through a mask at meetings like this. But if we do feel ill, we join by the Zoom and if not, then, you know, we come in and we go to the meeting. If you want to wear a mask, wear a mask,” Council President Randy Brachbill said.
Borough Manager Ralph Stewart said they have a hard time enforcing the mask requirement.
“I have to be honest, we have a hard time getting people to wear masks. They’ve either had COVID or whatever, they’re vaccinated. I can only say it so much and then leave people (to) make their decision but we’ve been dealing with this for a couple of years now. I think, I’m just speaking for the employees, they either wear them or don’t. We’ve tried to enforce it,” Stewart said.
Patton Township requires a face mask be worn while inside of a building open to the public, as the supervisors passed an ordinance to that effect in January. During Wednesday’s supervisors meeting, supervisors discussed repealing the ordinance, but did not vote on it.
The ordinance states it will stay in effect until the COVID transmission rate for Centre County drops below the substantial spread threshold, as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning fewer than 50 weekly COVID cases per 100,000 residents. With data available as of Thursday, the CDC lists Centre County as having 168.12 cases per 100,000 residents over the previous seven days.
During Wednesday’s meeting, supervisors voted 4-1 against updating the ordinance wording to “fewer than 50 new weekly cases per 100,000 residents” and against exempting places of worship from the mask requirement.
Some supervisors discussed repealing the ordinance, but a vote needed to wait until the next meeting.
“For the individuals in the community who have asked about us rescinding this order, unfortunately, I think this bureaucracy stuff, like, based on rules, it takes us time to be able to actually heed your request. And so, we hear that and we’ll be talking about that next (meeting) and we’re trying to move as fast as we can,” Supervisor Sultan Magruder said.
The mask requirements remain in Centre County government buildings (employees are required to wear surgical, N95 or KN95 masks) and the State College Borough.
The borough’s ordinance requires both the vaccinated and unvaccinated to mask up indoors in businesses and borough buildings open to the public. It will remain in effect until there are fewer than 50 weekly COVID cases per 100,000 residents.
The county has not indicated an end date.
