Starkville board of aldermen voted Tuesday to lift its citywide mask mandate beginning midnight April 30.
The board voted 5-2 to rescind the mandate, with the two opposing votes being from Ward 1 Alderman Ben Carver and Ward 3 Alderman David Little, the two aldermen who have previously been prominent advocates for lifting the mandate. Both voted no because they believed the board should lift the mandate immediately.
Mayor Lynn Spruill said lifting the mask-wearing mandate at month’s end corresponds with Mississippi State University’s plan to lift its on-campus mandate following spring commencement April 30. With new COVID-19 cases declining and increasing vaccinations, she said the timing is appropriate.
The mandate has been in place for most of the past year for indoor public spaces and government buildings to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“I think it is time that it is lifted,” Spruill said. “I was very surprised that the two aldermen that were previously in favor of lifting are no longer in favor of lifting it.”
Carver argued Tuesday the mandate should be lifted immediately, repeating dubious claims that masks do not provide adequate protection from coronavirus. He also pointed to other cities in Mississippi that have not waited this long to lift mandates.
“I would more be in approval of a motion to immediately rescind the mask mandate,” Carver said. “When Oxford, our sister city, votes unanimously 7-0 to pull masks off, and we’re left as one of the last (cities) in the whole state that still has masks on … to think that we’re stopping transmission from wearing a mask as the only city around, medically, I would say it’s false.”
After April 30, residents can still choose to wear masks in public, and private business owners can enforce mask regulations of their own. Carver said as a patron, he would wear his mask if a business requires him to do so.
Carver also said residents have been selective when choosing to wear masks, which is not effective. Super Bulldog Weekend and the Cotton District clientele, he said, are examples of how the community has not been following the ordinance that is still in place.
“I don’t think April 30 is a magic date,” Carver told The Dispatch after the meeting. “If this were ebola or this was a supervirus, we would treat this considerably differently. … It’s just not that deadly of a virus if I’m going to be honest with you.”
COVID-19 has killed more than 568,000 in the U.S. since the pandemic began in spring 2020. It has claimed more than 7,000 lives in Mississippi, including 98 in Oktibbeha County.
Ward 5 Alderman Hamp Beatty said he agrees with MSU’s decision regarding mask ordinances and is “guardedly optimistic” about the city’s as well.
“Vaccinations are increasing, and new cases have gone down, and we’re going in the right direction,” Beatty said. “I’m certain MSU has been monitoring and formulating their policy. I think their policy is certainly on the side of safety. If they indeed lift their restrictions on April 30, I think it will be safe for us to at least try it.”
Beatty added that if cases begin to rise again or a new variant of the virus emerges, then the board should consider reinstating the mandate. While he never wanted to have restrictions in the first place, he said, sometimes the board has to put them in place for the safety of Starkville residents.
“We need to be prepared if circumstances change if things start closing back up, if there is some variant or something like that, we need to be prepared, board, to go back in and take the measures necessary to take it seriously…,” Beatty said. “We’re charged with the responsibility to protect the people.”
You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 44 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.