State College Borough Council on Monday voted to temporarily extend a COVID-19 ordinance requiring masks to be worn in businesses and other places open to the public until Dec. 7 to give the Board of Health time to meet and provide a recommendation.
The ordinance, which was originally passed on Sept. 13, was set to expire on Nov. 22. Borough Manager Tom Fountaine said the Board of Health has been unable to schedule a meeting to review the ordinance and give a recommendation on whether or not it should continue.
The board is expected to meet next week, Fountaine said, and the extension will keep the ordinance in place at least until council’s next regular meeting on Dec. 6.
“Many of the issues that were present in September that resulted in the enactment of the ordinance are still present,” Fountaine said. “That’s why we want the board of health to take a look at this and make a recommendation to council.”
The ordinance requires anyone over the age of 2 inside any building open to the public to wear masks, with some exceptions. Businesses and organizations are required to post notice of the mask requirement at all public entrances.
Individuals and businesses found to have violated the ordinance can be found guilty of a civil infraction and fined $300, but Fountaine said that has not been enforced.
“For all intents and purposes the ordinance has been virtually unenforceable,” Fountaine said. “We’ve had good compliance from business owners for the requirement to post the businesses. However, it’s a little more hit or miss in terms of the public wearing masks indoors as required by the ordinance. We have not asked employees to be engaged in confrontations with people who don’t wear masks.”
State College police have not issued any citations since the ordinance was enacted, Lt. Greg Brauser said.
“Since the beginning of the semester, we have practiced enforcement through education, not citation,” Brauser said.
The ordinance is in effect is while Centre County is at the Centers for Disease Control highest level of community transmission for COVID-19.
Since Aug. 27, Centre County and most of Pennsylvania have been at the highest level of transmission on the CDC scale, defined as 100 or more new cases per 100,000 people and/or a testing positivity rate greater than 10% in the previous seven days.
The CDC recommends masks be worn in public setting in areas that are at the high level or substantial level, the second highest on the scale.
COVID-19 cases have been on the rise again in recent weeks. Last week the county had a positivity rate of 9.4%, up from 7.1% the previous seven days, and 279 new cases, 59 more than the prior week.
Local hospitalizations have, overall, been on a downward trend though still remain high, according to Mount Nittany Medical Center. The hospital has 31 COVID-19 inpatients as of Tuesday morning, three more than on Monday.
