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An ordinance to require masks be worn by all individuals in public spaces, as further described herein.
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WHEREAS, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic as of March 15, 2020; and,
WHEREAS, states of emergency have been declared by the President of the United States, the Governor of Tennessee, and the Mayor of Nashville and Davidson County, and continue to exist; and,
WHEREAS, the Metropolitan Council finds that the coronavirus remains a threat in Nashville and Davidson County; and,
WHEREAS, on July 27, 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated their guidance to recommend that fully vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals to wear a mask in public indoor settings in areas of substantial or high transmission of COVID-19, in light of new evidence concerning the spread of the Delta variant of COVID-19; and
WHEREAS, Nashville and Davidson County is classified as an area of high transmission. As of August 12, 2021, there were 3,754 active cases of COVID-19, a 38% increase over the prior week; and
WHEREAS, new hospital admissions were up over 53% as of August 9, 2021, with the percentage of hospital beds used for COVID and the percentage of ICU beds used for COVID on the rise; and
WHEREAS, less than half of the people in Davidson County are fully vaccinated, putting the majority of Davidson County residents at a higher risk of contracting COVID-19, especially the highly contagious Delta variant; and
WHEREAS, while fully vaccinated people are less likely to become infected with COVID-19, and infections of COVID-19 are usually mild in those who are fully vaccinated, fully vaccinated people can still be infected with the Delta variant and can spread the virus to others; and
WHEREAS, children under the age of 12 are not currently eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine, and cases of children contracting COVID-19, along with all other age groups, are on the rise; and
WHEREAS, due to the high leve...
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