Palo Alto Weighs Mandatory Mask Law

PALO ALTO, CA — Santa Clara County’s recommendation that people wear facial coverings when visiting essential businesses doesn’t go far enough in the estimation of some.

Palo Alto is considering going a step further.

The City Council will consider adopting its own law that would make wearing masks mandatory while visiting essential business and engaging in most activities outside their homes, Palo Alto Weekly reports.

The proposal goes before the council tonight at 5 p.m. The virtual meeting can be streamedthrough the city’s YouTube channel.

Wearing facial coverings in such circumstances is required by law in San Mateo County. If Palo Alto implements a law mandating masks, it would follow the lead of Cupertino, which passed a mandatory mask law last month.

The Cupertino law, which went into effect April 24, requires wearing face coverings in most situations, such as while riding public transit, receiving health, the report said.

People aren’t required to wear masks under such laws while engaging in outdoor activities such as running, hiking or bicycling, the report said.

Palo Alto Councilman Greg Tanaka has publicly expressed support for such a measure, telling Palo Alto Weekly that a similar law implemented in Shenzhen, China, has helped the city open 90% of its economy.

"If you look at other cities that have started to reopen their economy, they've been able to do so safely by having face masks, having excessive random testing and contact tracing," Tanaka said.

Councilwoman Liz Kniss expressed support for a mask law too, telling the newspaper that she’d like to see Palo Alto "put some more grit behind that requirement."

Read More at Palo Alto Weekly