The Metro Board of Health on Friday directed health officials to order Nashville residents to wear face coverings in public as the city sees an increase in COVID-19 cases and its death toll nears 100.
The board unanimously issued the mandate during an emergency meeting Friday afternoon. The debate followed a dispute between Metro Health Director Michael Caldwell — who previously said it would not be helpful to mandate something that was difficult to enforce — and other Metro and health leaders.
Board Chair Alex Jahangir, who also leads the city's Coronavirus Task Force, said he expects Caldwell to have a finalized order by Sunday at 5 p.m.
"We must do everything we can as a city to ensure the health and safety of our residents and visitors as we reopen," Jahangir said. "The data is clear: Wearing a mask helps reduce the spread of this disease."
The board left the specifics of a mask mandate to Caldwell and the Health Department. Caldwell and multiple members said enforcement of such an order would be difficult. One member of the board, Tené Hamilton Franklin, said the goal of the order should be to change behavior rather than punish those who disobey it.Â
Public-facing employees were already required to wear masks.
According to one study, Tennesseans are among the least likely to wear a mask, as nearly 40,000 residents have contracted the disease.
