by SARAH THOMACK
St. Joseph Post
A new mask mandate in St. Joseph took effect overnight and requires individuals to wear masks or face coverings at all indoor public places.
Interim City Manager Chris Connally says the mandate is a civil order and enforcement is handled by the city health department.
"It'll be up to businesses to let people know they need to wear a mask and that's currently how it's been done since day one, it's a civil order," Connally tells host Barry Birr on the KFEQ Hotline. "If there's someone who refuses to comply and somebody asks them to leave their business and they refuse to leave... well then that's a trespassing, that's a whole different matter."
Connally says he doesn’t believe they have had any trespassing calls yet related to someone not wearing a mask at a business.
"For the most part, I don't think we'll see a lot of change, at least when I've been out, just about everywhere I go, I see people wearing masks when they can't social distance," Connally says. "Most people do it, obviously there are some people that feel strongly otherwise and there are some people that have medical conditions that, for good reason, don't wear a mask."
To view the full emergency declaration, click here.