WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - West Lafayette Mayor John Dennis and the City of West Lafayette are working to introduce face mask requirements to the city.
It's the next step the city is considering to help stop the spread of the coronavirus. They hope to follow mandates recently issued by several counties in Northern Indiana, requiring masks to be worn in public.
"What we're asking is nothing compared to what might have to be done should this break horribly bad," said Dennis.
Since the start of July, Tippecanoe County has seen more than 60 new confirmed cases of the coronavirus.
Dennis said he understands peoples' frustration with being asked to wear a mask.
"Mandating that wearing a mask is an issue that cuts close to the wick to everybody," said Dennis. "I know that there are some people that have issues with claustrophobia, they have issues with breathing and things like that. I understand that. But for the general population, this is just a whisper, not a shout."
Dennis is pushing to see a county-wide mandate with support from Lafayette and Tippecanoe County leaders. West Lafayette City Council has discussed a city-wide ordinance if a county-wide mandate does not happen.
"It's imperative that we take a very aggressive step in trying to minimize the number of cases that we have here in West Lafayette," said Dennis.
Guidelines for the ordinance would discussed during a public meeting due to it being a topic of major debate.
Indianapolis recently introduced mask requirements last week to mixed reviews.
Here in West Lafayette - Mayor Dennis said he would like to have regulations in place by the end of the week.
