Protesters interrupt Muscatine mayor’s mask proclamation

Protesters interrupt Muscatine mayor’s mask proclamation
Lang
7/5/20

Muscatine mayor Diana Broderson read a proclamation Sunday mandating all residents must wear masks in public…or at least she read most of it before protesters interrupted.

Earlier this week Broderson announced plans to issue a proclamation stating that protective masks or other face coverings must be worn in public at all times. She told The Des Moines Register that she hoped compliance would come willingly, but she was also ready to order police to enforce the policy under threat of a $500 fine. Broderson added she would let police use their own discretion for each situation.

The proclamation comes as COVID-19 numbers have begun to spike in Muscatine County. Since June 1st, the county has seen an additional 63 cases, with 45 of them reported in the second half of June and the first three days of July.

Broderson stood on the steps of Muscatine City Hall Sunday afternoon to officially read the proclamation. She was forced to end the reading early after a group of about 50 protestors began shouting her down, some using profanities. Some brought their children who were holding signs, including one saying “I can’t wear a mask for eight hours, I just want to go to school”. One woman was carrying a sign claiming wearing a mask reduced her blood oxygen level.

According to the Register, The Iowa Attorney General’s Office says Broderson’s proclamation may not be legal. But Broderson said she consulted with the city attorney, and cites an Iowa law that allows mayors to govern by proclamation in times of emergency.

The Muscatine city council is mixed on the mask idea. Among the detractors is councilor Dewayne Hopkins, who told the Register he doesn’t think the public wants to be told what to do. He attended Sunday’s event, and was the only councilor in attendance not wearing a mask. He told The Muscatine Journal he was a Vietnam veteran, and should have the right to choose whether or not to wear a mask.

Broderson blames the recent COVID-19 uptick on surrounding counties, specifically Johnson and Scott Counties. Local health officials have attributed the recent spike in COVID-19 cases in young adults in Johnson County to University of Iowa students’ lack of social distancing and Iowa City’s active bar scene. Many Iowa City bars have since temporarily shut down again as the number of COVID-19 cases has increased.

The Muscatine mask rule goes into effect at 6am Monday. The full verbiage of the proclamation can be found on the city’s web site: www.muscatineiowa.gov