Board Of Aldermen - Minutes - 11/24/2020 - P40
Board of Aldermen 11-24-2020 Page 40
any context what the pros and cons of that area. But based on the discussions today, it is clear that people
are not adhering to the mask mandate, it is clear that businesses for many reasons, I’m sure that it is very
difficult to turn away patrons, or to ask front line people to argue with them about what the Law is. But we
are not using these important and prudent means of reducing transmission.
| don’t Know what the mechanism is, | Know the next Board of Aldermen’s meeting is not until two weeks
from now. But | feel compelled as a medical professional, as a member of the Board of Health, as a senior
citizen, as a grandmother and the daughter of a frail, elderly individual to ask, to implore that something be
done. Whether it is appointing a group that can make recommendations and decisions that will not just
include Board of Health, because the Board of Health can make recommendations. Whether it is meeting
again more expeditiously. Whether it is putting the COVID response as a permanent Agenda Item so that
we would not be in a position which | believe if | understand things correctly we are in tonight, where we are
not able to effect any changes or recommendations in time for “Drinksgiving”, in time for Thanksgiving.
Now we have other holidays coming up, Christmas and New Years and | think that we have very little time
to prevent what could be a disastrous occurrence for our businesses, for our front line people including
service workers, not just in the restaurants but also in stores and in grocery delivery and looking at
something that would happen like what’s happening in Europe which is a complete lockdown of everything
and a complete shutdown of all shopping, except essential.
| thank you for hearing me. And | wish everybody a safe and healthy Thanksgiving Holiday.
President Wilshire
Thank you Dr. Wolf-Rosenblum.
Mayor Donchess
Madam President, may | mention something in response?
President Wilshire
Yes, Mayor.
Mayor Donchess
The doctor is correct, | think we should take up — there was a lot of discussion, pros and cons, different
directions. Clearly we have hit a positivity rate that’s higher than we have before, 7%. At the beginning it
was 12% but there were very few tests being done. But over the summer it was more like 1%, 1.2% now it’s
nearly 7%. We should take up with the Board of Health and the same group of people hopefully or a similar
group as soon as we possibly can. There were four or five Aldermen involved. | would ask Bobbie to try to
put that together for Friday morning or Monday morning or something, as soon as we possibly can.
Because | think Dr. Wolf-Rosenblum is right, we’ve got to consider taking additional steps.
| mean the thing that worries me the most, just hearing all the discussion, not to pick on anyone but the
bars, a lot of people mingling at least as we’ve anecdotally heard what’s happening. A lot of people
mingling without masks, how can they wear masks when they are drinking a drink; and crowded conditions.
The store situation is something we’d like to correct but it’s more, to me, more low risk. OK there’s
someone behind the cash register with a mask, someone in front of them should be wearing a mask and
that store should be enforcing that mandate, but the bar situation is a higher risk. And | know a little more
about this than would because I’ve talked to Brandon once or twice about, Alderman Laws, about what he
is seeing, people coming in from out of state.
So | don’t know how soon we could put this together, but | think it should be either Friday, maybe not
because it’s right in the middle of the weekend, the four days, if not on Monday and try to take up the
discussion again. And any members of the Board that want to join that, that would be great because we do
