Here is a statement from Councilor Hunter Williams, chair of the Public Safety Committee: “I am personally for wearing face coverings and wear one myself when I’m going to grocery stores and other public venues. They have been proven very effective in preventing virus transmission for asymptomatic carriers. I do think that allowing a $500 fine or 30 days in the city jail to a parent whose three-year-old child refuses to wear a mask is excessive. This pandemic has brought on uncertainty at every level. There is no playbook for the medical providers or for government institutions. However we still have the constitution. When the government takes power from the citizens it is somewhere in between extremely hard and impossible for those rights to be restored to the citizens. Instead of legislating common sense we need to lead by example. As for those who are especially vulnerable, we urge them to remain at home as to not come in contact with any illness at this time.”