No Mandatory Mask Requirement In Lakeland: Commission

LAKELAND, FL — Lakeland will not be joining the cities of St. Petersburg and Tampa with mandatory mask requirements.

An emergency meeting was held by the Lakeland City Commission to discuss mask requirements within the city on Monday morning, where medical staff members shared their thoughts about the requirements.

"Masks are probably the least expensive mitigation measure that this commission could possibly be considering," Dr. Steve Achinger of Watson Clinic said at the meeting. "We all understand the expense of a shutdown, and the amount of pain it inflicts on the community, and we want to avoid that. Masks are relatively inexpensive, and it is simply asking people to comply with the recommendation that scientific bodies across the United States, across the world agree is a very important mitigation strategy that can slow down the spread of the disease."

Achinger explained that the coronavirus spares no age group. Young people who contract the virus in public and then go home are likely to pass it to their family members.

Some Lakeland residents who called in during the meeting were in favor of mandated masks while others were not.

Since the city commissioners did not ask the city to move forward with mandated masks, there will be no motion for mandated masks.

There has been about a 15 percent increase of coronavirus cases in the city from June 18-21, said a medical staff member in Monday's meeting.

The St. Petersburg mayor signed an order last week that now requires all business employees who work in public spaces to wear masks, and he warned that any violation of this can result in financial or other business operations-related sanctions, the St. Pete Patch reported.

Mask requirements are slightly different in Tampa. People are required to wear masks when they are inside a public place and can't keep 6 feet of distance away from others. Those who violate this order can face a civil citation.