Manitou Springs City Council to enact emergency resolution mandating masks

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- On Tuesday, a day after the Colorado Springs City Council took no action on a possible mask-wearing ordinance, the Manitou Springs City Council signaled that a mandatory mask ordinance is on the way for the small mountain town.

The discussion was brought about by an increase of COVID-19 cases in the state and a request from the council to put a mask requirement vote on a future agenda.

Tuesday, all but one of the councilmembers decided to move forward with drafting an emergency resolution to mandate masks immediately. That resolution could be written by Thursday.

Mayor John Graham says once finalized, the resolution won't need a formal vote and will go into effect immediately.

Also a factor in Tuesday's discussion was a recent citizen survey finding that the lack of social distancing in public places, and the lack of mask-wearing in public places, are the third- and fourth-greatest community concerns, respectively.

City staff members presented the council with an overview of how other communities are addressing mask concerns, and how a mask requirement would be enforced.

Other matters on the council's agenda included the city's budget status and how businesses are recovering from the pandemic, supplemented by results from a survey of merchants.