Decorah Police: No reported instances of violations of the city's mask ordinance

When the Decorah City Council passed a resolution in August calling on all people within the city limits to wear face masks when they're visiting stores and restaurants and other indoor areas, the action was controversial.

However, eight weeks later, there have been no reported cases of violations of the ordinance.  Decorah Police Chief Dave Smutzler says his department has created space on their report forms where mask violations can be written down—and so far, the space has gone unused.

The City of Decorah's coronavirus mask ordinance only carries a fine for someone's third or subsequent violation, and then the fine is $10.  Some city council members had seen the ordinance as largely educational, not something that would result in a lot of tickets.  So far, that's been the experience—there has not been a single ticket written because of the ordinance.