Cobb continues ‘nice mask ask’ campaign in lieu of a mandate

When Cobb Commission Chairman Mike Boyce said last week he was asking county staff to review Gov. Brian Kemp’s latest order allowing local governments to pass mask mandates, he said he would be reluctant to impose one.

Not just because he thought it would be hard for public safety to enforce, he said, but also because he didn’t think he could get his colleagues to go along with it.

Boyce said a mask mandate would require public hearings and commissioners’ approval of a new ordinance.

Both of East Cobb’s commissioners said last week they don’t support that either.

JoAnn Birrell said in a response to a query from East Cobb News that “I concur with the governor’s order and the Chairman.”

Kemp’s order allows local governments to issue broad mandates if a county averaged more than 100 COVID-19 per 100,000 people over a 14-day period.

Cobb’s average as of Sunday for the previous two weeks was 313 cases per 100,000, as that number continues to trend down.

That’s a metric that public health officials have said designates “high community spread” and it’s a key indicator Cobb school superintendent Chris Ragsdale has said will guide a return to classroom instruction. He’s targeted getting that number under 200.

The Cobb GIS office has created a new map letting users gauge community spread data in the county and around the state. When you click on a county, it shows the cases per 100,000 over the previous 14 days, and has color coding to indicate the severity of the spread in a particular county.

Even if a local government issued a community mandate, Kemp’s order still requires the consent of property owners.

Commissioner Bob Ott of East Cobb also said of a broader mask requirement that “I don’t think it’s enforceable. It’s better to work with businesses and get them to do it.”

That sentiment is part of what Boyce has called a “nice ask mask” campaign that includes the use of billboards, as seen below, and social media messages, including photoshopped images above that include a mask on the Big Chicken.

Kemp’s order does allow local governments to impose mandates on public property, and Boyce said Cobb County Manager Jackie McMorris can issue a mask order for county buildings.

Birrell said whatever McMorris may come up with, “I support her decisions.”

Shortly after Kemp’s order, the city of Smyrna imposed a mask mandate. Sandy Springs and Roswell orders require masks only in city buildings.

Most Cobb commissioners have been urging public mask use in their public statements and e-mail newsletters, and they often wear them during their public meetings.

Like Boyce, Ott said he has noticed high levels of voluntary mask compliance when he’s out and about.

“We just can’t be thinking up laws that are unenforceable,” Ott said.

Get Our Free E-Mail Newsletter!

Every Sunday we round up the week’s top headlines and preview the upcoming week in the East Cobb News Digest. Click here to sign up, and you’re good to go!