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Florida sheriff bans his deputies and office visitors from wearing masks on a day his county broke records for Covid-19 deaths
That was the requirement spelled out in an August 11 e mail to the division from Sheriff Billy Woods of the Marion County Sheriff’s Office.
The mandate got here because the Metropolis of Ocala, Florida put a required Masks Mandate Ordinance in place in an effort to gradual the unfold of the coronavirus pandemic. The Ocala Metropolis Council handed an emergency ordinance final week, requiring masks inside companies. Although the town’s mayor vetoed the ordinance on Monday, the Metropolis Council overrode the veto on Wednesday.
“Now, that ordinance exempts authorities entities and leaves the choice to the determine heads,” Woods defined within the e mail, obtained by CNN. “So, as for us, my order will stand as is if you find yourself on-duty/working as my worker and representing my Office — masks won’t be worn.”
Woods then listed out a few exceptions when masks want to be worn: on the courthouse, colleges, hospitals and whereas on patrol and responding to a nursing residence or involving a “Excessive Danger Aged particular person,” he mentioned within the e mail.
And the order does not simply lengthen to these on the payroll — anybody strolling into a sheriff’s office, both the primary office or a district one, can be requested to take away their masks, Woods wrote. If they do not, they are going to be requested to depart.
His reasoning? Clear communication, he mentioned within the e mail.
“In gentle of the present occasions in relation to the sentiment and/or hatred towards regulation enforcement in our nation right this moment, that is being accomplished to make sure there may be clear communication and for identification functions of any particular person strolling into a foyer,” he wrote.
The e-mail does not particularly checklist out why deputies mustn’t put on masks, however Woods does write that he can “already hear the whining” — insinuating that his determination will not be a widespread one.
“The actual fact is, the quantity of execs that give the explanation why we must always, I can discover the very same quantity of execs that say why we should not,” Woods writes. “Because the starting of this pandemic the operation of this office has not modified and no wearing of masks has been put in place. With simply at 900 staff, our variety of instances thus far has confirmed that the present approach we’re approaching the difficulty is working.”
Woods indicators off the e-mail with a “Be Protected!”
Nationally, law enforcement officials have been seen not wearing masks, itemizing a myriad of causes as to why — although well being officers together with the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention advise the face coverings to stop the unfold of coronavirus.
CNN’s Tina Burnside contributed to this report.
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