Sedona’s mayor has issued a proclamation requiring face masks in public. Here is a press release from the City of Sedona.
SEDONA, Ariz. – To continue to limit the spread of COVID-19, city of Sedona Mayor Sandy Moriarty issued a Proclamation of Emergency that beginning Thursday, June 25, 2020, all persons five years of age and older must wear a face covering in public where physical distancing is not practiced. This is important as Sedona, surrounding communities and the state of Arizona see a surge of positive cases of COVID-19 and the percentage of positive cases out of the total tested.
Moriarty’s proclamation comes the day after a Sedona City Council meeting where the majority of City Councilors expressed support for such a proclamation.
A face covering is defined as a cloth or other soft or permeable material that covers the nose, mouth and surrounding areas of the lower face. Examples include a bandana, homemade fabric covering or common surgical mask.
Examples of public places include grocery and retails stores, pharmacies, health care facilities, restaurants, bars, gyms and outdoor spaces where people congregate.
Examples of exceptions to not being required to wear a face covering include, but are not limited to:
- Any person who cannot wear a face covering because of a medical condition.
- Restaurant patrons while they are eating or drinking.
- Settings where it is not practical or feasible to wear a face covering such as when receiving dental services or while swimming.
- While exercising outdoors when physical distancing is maintained.
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey issued an Executive Order on June 17, 2020 stating, among other things, that cities have the authority to enact face covering mandates in their communities.
Law enforcement will follow Ducey’s direction in that they will first focus on educating the public and when possible, having face coverings to hand out. Continued failure to comply is a misdemeanor. “We’d prefer not to have to issue a citation. The goal is to educate and gain compliance through understanding,” said Sedona Police Chief Charles Husted.
“I’m concerned about the rising COVID-19 cases, and specifically the acceleration of community spread in Arizona. We are not talking about protecting ourselves, but rather others: wearing a face covering does not protect you, it protects others from infection by you. It is a small inconvenience to benefit everyone’s safety and slow the spread,” said Moriarty.
The proclamation is in effect until further notice.
More information
Read the full Proclamation here. For questions, read this FAQ or email questions@sedonaaz.gov.
The city of Sedona reminds residents that in addition to wearing face coverings like detailed above, remember to wash your hands, adhere to physical distancing and stay home if sick. To learn more information on the city’s response to COVID-19, and what resources are available for the community and businesses, go to www.sedonaaz.gov/covid19.
