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SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake County Council voted Tuesday afternoon to hold an emergency meeting to address the indoor mask order that was issued on Jan. 7 by Salt Lake County Health Department Executive Director Dr. Angela Dunn.
The meeting has been set for 4 p.m. on Thursday. A public comment session will not be held, according to the agenda.
The health order, which was issued for 30 days and requires all persons over the age of 2 to wear a mask indoors, was prompted by the surge of the COVID-19 virus in recent days.
Tuesday night's regularly scheduled meeting held public comment, prompting Councilman David Alvord to inquire if a vote to overturn the public health order was in order, which was not on the day's agenda. The vote to hold an emergency meeting passed in a 5-4 vote by the council.
During the meeting, dozens of residents showed up to speak against the mandate and others attended virtually to speak for the mask order.
"This is abuse, and it needs to stop immediately," one woman said during the public comment session. "End it now."
One little girl said she doesn't like wearing masks "because they give me headaches."
A man who joined the meeting virtually said: "Please, in the future, don't punish those of us who choose to call in as having to speak last, just because we're deliberately avoiding the risk of transmission in that superspreader event you call a council meeting."
