NEW ALBANY, Ind. (WDRB) -- The New Albany City Council will vote Thursday on a recommendation for people to wear masks in public.
According to the resolution, the city is "recommending the use of face masks or cloth coverings by the public in public places or when around people who don't live in the same household in order to help curb the spread of COVID-19 in the community."
Indiana Gov. Eric Holcomb has not issued a statewide mask mandate, saying it's up to each city to take action. Cities such as Indianapolis and Evansville have adopted mask requirements.
Masks are already a requirement inside some businesses in New Albany.
Dirk Griffin.
Dirk Griffin and his granddaughter both wore masks during their shopping trip on Wednesday.
"I'm immunocompromised, so it's doubly bad for me to see people without a mask on," said Griffin.
Around half of shoppers who were out Wednesday wore a face covering.
Jan Blake-Pearson said, "I feel like I'm doing what I can, but other people seem like they're disregarding. I think (the city's recommendation) would be great because I see a lot of people without masks on."
Jan Blake-Pearson.
Because New Albany's proposal is only a recommendation, it doesn't carry any fines or legal consequences.
Floyd County Health Officer Dr. Tom Harris warned that local cases of the disease are rising, including a spike in younger people.
"Masks are helpful and they lower the infection rate, probably from 20% to 2%, so you're looking at 10-fold decrease if people wear masks in a social interaction," Harris said.
He called New Albany's mask recommendation "a good idea" and would support stepping it up.
"It should be a mandatory requirement. I think there is no doubt that masks simply lower the infection rate," he said. "It's a good step in the right direction, but in the best of all possible worlds, the mask use would be mandatory and not just a recommendation."
WDRB News reached out to New Albany city officials for comment on the mask proposal but did not get a response.
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