Decorah Mayor signs the mask wearing mandate, issues a statement

Decorah Mayor Lorraine Borowski on Monday signed the mask wearing mandate approved by the Decorah City Council last week.  The ordinance will go into effect on Thursday, when it will be officially published.

Following the signing, the mayor issued a statement:

"Friday, August 21st, the Decorah City Council approved the second reading and approved waiving the third reading of Ordinance 1257, placing it for adoption. While the council voted 6-1 to approve the ordinance, it will not go into effect until it is signed by the Mayor and published.

The use of face coverings, washing hands frequently, and/or use of hand sanitizer, avoiding large crowds, staying home when sick, and enjoying outdoor distancing as needed are in the best interest of health, safety and economic recovery. Until a vaccine is in place, these initiatives are the only means for being proactive in attempting to flatten the curve and potentially reduce the transmission of the COVID-19 virus.

Decorah and surrounding areas are fortunate to be tourist and recreational destinations. Thousands of visitors come for enjoying recreational activities, the many shops and restaurants and breweries. We want these visitors to feel safe when they visit.

As area schools in the county open and students return to Luther College and Northeast Iowa Community College, measures are needed to ensure safety for ongoing education. In addition, a proactive approach is necessary to insure continued economic return of local businesses. For these reasons, I am signing Ordinance 1257.

I understand that this is an extremely divisive issue and I will continue to reach out to community partners to develop promotional materials to ensure community awareness and encourage dialogue.

Moving forward, there need to be guidelines, analysis, input and conversation in order to determine the effectiveness of the ordinance.

In this unprecedented and challenging time, we have limited tools at our disposal and yet the stakes are higher than ever. Thank you for joining with your families, friends and neighbors to support the health and well-being of our students, educators, local businesses and our entire community by wearing a face covering in public spaces."