(JACKSON, Miss.) – Tuesday, Mayor Chokwe Antar Lumumba issued an executive order requiring all residents and visitors in the City of Jackson to wear a face covering while out in public. The second amended Stay Safe Jackson executive order further requires business owners to require all employees and patrons to wear a facial covering while on the premises,
“As we contemplated the steps forward, we identified that far too many of our residents have been taking a lackadaisical approach to wearing facial coverings in our city. Far too many people have not taken this very critical, deadly virus seriously. So, we stand here with you, not in an effort to over-govern, but in an effort to protect our residents to the best our ability,” said Mayor Lumumba during the press conference. “We are a business-friendly city. We’re grateful for the businesses that reside in our city. We’re grateful for the employment and economic development that their enterprise provides to our city, but when faced with the concern of a global pandemic and the death of our residents, we have to take the measures which are necessary to protect them. And so, we had the option of [placing] restrictive policies and citations on residents and businesses or the option to shutting the City down completely.”
Penalties for violating the City’s mandatory face cover wearing policy include a $300.00 citation for individuals and the immediate 24-hour shutdown of any business found in violation. Business owners must also submit an attestation of compliance with the Mayor’s executive order.
City Attorney, Tim Howard gave a breakdown of the order’s stipulations, but stressed that the intent of the new mandate is not to be punitive in nature, but to save lives. “We know face coverings save lives and we feel it’s very necessary to attach consequences when individuals and businesses don’t comply,” said Attorney Howard.
Several other members of the COVID-19 Task Force were present during the press briefing, including Dr. Timothy Quinn, Dr. Charles Buckley, Dr. Justin Turner, and CEO/President of Visit Jackson, Rickey Thigpen. The second amended Stay Safe Jackson executive order can be found here.
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