Spiking COVID-19 cases across the Kenai Peninsula forced the Soldotna City Council to pass a resolution to require that masks be worn in public indoor portions of city-owned buildings when the Central Kenai Peninsula is experiencing substantial or high transmission of COVID-19.
The resolution was sponsored by Councilman Dave Carey:
“I believe that sitting on this council means that I have a fiduciary responsibility to every single person that works in this city that we do all that we can to keep them safe and that we separate them from undue possibility of illness. There is currently no vaccination for children. I believe also that as a member of this council, I have an obligation to do all I can to protect our kids. Again, I’m a teacher. I’m someone who’s lived here forever since I was a kid here. So I see that this resolution, of which few people probably actually want, I certainly feel is necessary so that we can do, again, all that we can to protect our kids. The latest statistics from across the country are that many more young people are becoming ill. Many more are in hospitals. From my standpoint, this resolution is necessary to protect city employees, which I have a responsibility to do as a member of this council and also to protect our kids.”
Councilman Erick Hugarte said:
“A lot of people that I’ve been asking don’t want to be wearing masks. A lot of the people that I’ve been asking, personally, don’t believe that they work and they don’t want to be going into buildings when they have to wear a mask. I think it should be something where the person should decide whether they want to wear it or not because then it’s forcing other people who don’t feel that they should or that they want to to wear a mask. If we’re working for our people, we’re working for the people in our community. That’s what I’ve been hearing from a lot of people who have been talking to me.”
City Manager Stephanie Queen:
“Recently, effective Monday, I reinstituted mask wearing for employees in certain indoor settings. This was the policy that we had in place through May until I loosened it when the CDC loosened their public health recommendations, but I reinstituted it effective Monday for employees only.”
Resolution 2021-036 passed on a 5 to 1 vote. The city buildings covered under the policy include the main lobby and Council Chambers of the Soldotna City Hall, the Soldotna Public Library, the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex, and the public lobby or customer areas of the Soldotna Police Department, Wastewater Treatment Plant, and Maintenance Shop.
2021-036