Montgomery mayor weighs fate of city's mask order days before it expires

Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed said Tuesday that he's still considering the future of the municipal mask mandate, moments after the Montgomery City Council ended its final meeting before the order is set to expire.

The current order requires the use of masks in most public situations, but it ends Sunday. No mask order was on Tuesday's meeting agenda, and the council's next meeting is set for May 18. 

Councilman Glen Pruitt said during the meeting that he's been getting calls about the order and its future. "We will not renew that mask ordinance as of May 9, that's correct?" Pruitt asked.

"Not as of May 9," Councilman CC Calhoun replied.

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But Reed said discussions are ongoing and did not rule out the idea of extending the mandate by executive order.

"I'm not comfortable with the mask order expiring at the moment," Reed said after the meeting. "We'll continue talking with the council about what the data says and what the medical experts are recommending to us.

"As I mentioned before, we're doing pretty good but not as well as we want to be. And the last thing I think any of us want is to have a reset of this because we see some spikes."

In Montgomery County, about 38% of people over the age of 16 had gotten at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by May 4.

The Montgomery County Commission voted earlier in the day to make masks optional inside all county-run facilities.

"Commissioners are strongly encouraging the public and employees to exercise personal responsibility and continue to wash hands, practice physical distancing, and wear masks when appropriate," County Commission spokeswoman Hannah Hawk said in a release announcing the decision.

Many major retail outlets, grocery stores and entertainment venues across the region will continue to require anyone who enters to wear a face mask. That includes nationwide chains Aldi, Costco, CVS, Home Depot, Lowe's, Publix, Target, Walmart and more. Those private business policies are not changed by the lifting of government mandates.

However, businesses have relied on state and local mandates throughout the pandemic to help avoid confusion or confrontations with customers. "Merchants that are attempting to create a safe space for their employers and their customers are really taking on a big PR challenge," said Jim Carnes, policy director of nonprofit advocacy group Alabama Arise. "As we know the attitudes of the general public vary across the board."

A spokesman for one of the area's largest employers, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, also confirmed Tuesday that its workers still will be required to wear masks "for the foreseeable future."

"If the current COVID-19 case trend continues to improve in the coming months, then we will re-evaluate our overall COVID-19 safety protocols (mask, temperature screening, social distancing requirements, limited seating cafeterias; etc.)," HMMA Vice President of Human Resources and Administration Robert Burns said in a statement.

Federal laws continue to require the continued use of masks in the Montgomery Regional Airport, while on planes and while at other airports across the nation.

In April, the council unanimously backed a proposal by Reed to require masks in most public situations for one month after the statewide mask mandate expired. Reed at the time pointed to a recent uptick in cases here as well as guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which recommends the continued use of masks.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey announced Monday the current statewide public health order will end May 31 and that Alabama's state of emergency will end July 6. Nearly 11,000 Alabamians have died from COVID-19 since Ivey first declared the state of emergency on March 13, 2020.

As of May 3, about 33% of Alabama residents over age 16 had at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and about 24% were fully vaccinated.

Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Brad Harper at [email protected].