Naperville leaders to promote wearing masks
Naperville City Council members plan to work on a public service announcement-style video or videos to promote the wearing of masks in public, as is required by a state executive order to decrease the spread of the COVID-19 virus.
Council members on Tuesday discussed masks after nine members of the public requested they do more to ensure people use face coverings. Several of the speakers said they've been disappointed with the level of mask-wearing in downtown Naperville, and most asked for the city to write its own mandate to require masks by a local ordinance.
“Naperville needs a mask mandate,” Margaret Collins said in written comments submitted before Tuesday's virtual meeting. “Especially in our downtown area, the streets and sidewalks are increasingly crowded with groups of people not social distancing and not wearing masks. Naperville should set a good example and help Illinois defeat this virus once and for all.”
The council declined to put a mask ordinance on the books, citing enforcement concerns. But members lined up unanimously behind an idea from council member Kevin Coyne to film a PSA or a series of PSAs for social media to promote mask-wearing in public.
Coyne said the Census Naperville Complete Count Committee has had success promoting census completion through a series of short videos, so he would like to see the same approach to encourage compliance with wearing masks. Face coverings are required to be worn in Illinois in indoor public places and in outdoor public places when six-foot social distancing is not possible, per an executive order from Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
Coyne said a PSA from council members could be effective because members have their own constituencies and political views that “run the entirety of the political spectrum.”
Council members all said they support the wearing of masks to help decrease virus transmission, as each person who wears a mask helps protect others. They also all said recording a video for social media would be the appropriate way to put the city's leadership behind the mask effort.
“It makes you part of a team that you're encouraging people to do something that is positive,” council member Judith Brodhead said.
The city also plans to coordinate with the Downtown Naperville Alliance on potentially increasing signs about mask-wearing and social distancing when in the downtown area.
Mayor Steve Chirico said further encouragement of the practice of wearing masks will help keep case counts, hospitalizations and deaths low across Naperville and the broader DuPage County region.
“This is working and it is proven, so we need to keep encouraging it,” Chirico said about mask use. “Countries that are doing this well are able to have open economies and still keep the public safe.”