Rockdale County enacts ordinance requiring face coverings/masks in public

The Rockdale County Board of Commissioners (BOC) stepped up measures to protective the public’s heath, adopting an ordinance requiring that face coverings/masks are worn in public places.

The ordinance follows a previous resolution the BOC enacted at the July 28 voting session suggesting that facemasks be worn in public.

The ordinance was presented to the BOC for the first read, with the second read being waived and adopted at the Aug. 11 board meeting. The ordinance masks violations an offense, which can be enforced by general penalty. The ordinance has been drafted in accordance with the Executive Order issued by Gov. Brian Kemp as stated in Code Section 38-3-51 that “all residents and visitors of the State of Georgia are strongly encouraged to wear face coverings as practicable while outside their homes or place of residence, except when eating, drinking or exercising outdoors.”

The board said the measures have been taken to protect the safety of the community during a time where COVID-19 remains active within the county and throughout the country.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) advised it is possible that those who are infected with COVID-19 can show no symptoms and spread the virus to other individuals as well as individuals being contagious prior to the onset of symptoms.

Requiring face coverings or masks encompasses the following:

• All persons present in Rockdale County, who are over the age of eight years old, are required to wear a face covering or mask which covers the nose and mouth when in any public place
• No employer shall prohibit an employee from wearing a face covering, except to the limited extent that doing so would prevent the employee from performing an essential job function that cannot be performed while wearing a face covering.
• This shall not be construed to prohibit the use of medial or industrial face coverings, shields or other forms of personal protective equipment which offer more protection

For more information, visit rockdalecountyga.govor the following link: https://rockdalecountyga.gov/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/mask-ordinance.pdf.