Karen Gleason
City council members Tuesday voted to extend a requirement for city employees and community members to wear masks while inside city facilities.
Mayor Bruno “Ralphy” Lozano initiated the council’s discussion about Gov. Greg Abbott’s recent order to lift the state’s mask mandate and to reopen businesses at pre-COVID capacity levels.
When the mayor opened the floor for questions from council members, Mayor Pro Tem Alfredo “Fred” Carranza Jr. said, “I wanted us to have a discussion about the face mask requirements. I wanted to keep the use of masks in our municipal buildings for the protection of our employees.”
Carranza said he would also like to hear from Assistant Local Health Authority Dr. Laura Palau and from City Attorney Raul Casso.
“I think my recommendation would be to keep wearing masks, because it’s not over. You can see the CDC (Centers for Disease Control) telling us that some new strains (of COVID) are showing up in Houston . . . so health officials and the CDC are telling us to keep wearing masks. I know that the county is going to recommend for their employees to wear masks in county buildings, so it would be a decision of the council if the city will also do the same,” Palau told the council.
She said the governor’s order allows businesses to decide whether they will require employees and customers to wear masks on their premises. She knows several local businesses, including some restaurants, that will continue to require masks for staff and customers.
“I understand the governor’s order allows us the authority to continue requiring the use of face masks, just like a business,” Carranza asked the city attorney.
“An executive order, such as GA-34, the governor’s order, is a law, so although not promulgated through the legislature like normally, it has the force of law. In fact, the governor included a statement that said (that). That puts it in the context of things we can do. We can match it. We can do things like it; we can do less than what it mandates, but we cannot exceed it,” the city attorney replied.
Casso also quoted from the governor’s order, noting it said, “Nothing in this order precludes businesses and other establishments from requiring employees or customers to follow additional hygiene measures including the wearing of a face covering.”
“As a city, we may require our employees and customers to wear masks in our facilities,” the city attorney added.
After Casso’s presentation, Carranza made a motion “we require the use of face masks in all city of Del Rio municipal buildings to include all employees and all customers.”
Lozano gave the second.
Councilman Raul C. Ojeda asked if the mask requirements would include city vehicles.
Carranza said he would add the requirement to his motion.
Councilman Jim DeReus said he did not believe that stricture needed to be in the motion, but could be a directive to employees by the city manager.
The motion was unanimously approved.
