Community Corner
Residents Urged To Wear Masks: 'I Expect To See Them' Mayor Says
St. Pete Mayor Rick Kriseman encourages restaurants to place signs near the front of their businesses that say "Mask Required for Service."
ST. PETERSBURG, FL — Mayor Rick Kriseman took to Facebook Live Tuesday to address St. Petersburg's conditions in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. There doesn't appear to be a shortage of mask availability in the area but, according to Kriseman, there does appear to be a shortage of people wearing masks when they go out in public.
"I'm working with a generous donor to ship even more masks here to St. Pete, and we will get some of these out into the community, and I certainly expect to see them out and about," said Kriseman.
Kriseman said we could all do a little better when it comes to doing things the St. Pete Way, and that includes wearing masks. He wants residents to understand the benefits of wearing masks because this protects the community. It's about respect, he said.
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He encouraged restaurants to place the rules of their establishment near the front door and that includes "Mask Required for Service" signs. He compared it to "No Shoes, No Shirt, No Service", and believes that this practice needs to stay in place for the foreseeable future.
"We have received a couple of restaurant complaints (compliance), and both times police found those restaurants (unnamed) to be in compliance with state and county orders," he said.
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Kriseman said St. Pete Police Department has received 19 calls for service related to compliance in the last 10 days.
A congratulatory statement was given by the mayor to the local high school and college graduates, and the University of South Florida St. Pete named specifically. He is proud of the way St. Pete high schoolers and college students handled their careers in the past two months with all the changes. He emphasized the importance for students and graduates to continue following the safety health guidelines throughout the summer.
As of Monday, Kriseman said St. Pete has had nearly 450 coronavirus cases, nearly 40,000 tests have been administered across the county and 75 coronvirus-related deaths in Pinellas County.
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