On Wednesday, the Patton Township Board of Supervisors will vote on a proposed ordinance to implement a mask mandate. If passed, the ordinance will be effective until March 31, unless repealed, rescinded or extended by the board of supervisors.
Patton Township Supervisor Dan Trevino says if the ordinance passes, people will be required to wear masks in all public spaces in the township.
“The major stores would be Walmart, Target, the grocery stores, Aldi, Wegman’s, Kohl's, any establishment, even the small businesses,” Trevino said.
Trevino said the Omicron variant led the board to consider the mask mandate.
“That’s the biggest reason why we’re asked to revisit it is, you see the numbers every day. Centre County numbers and statewide, nationwide, we’re in an Omicron variant surge right now and it hasn’t plateaued yet,” Trevino said.
Compliance with the mask mandate would be enforced by the police, as it was under the previous mandate from August 2020 through spring of 2021.
“It’s up to the police department and they’ll exercise their judgment," Trevino said. "When we had a mask mandate before under the emergency declaration, they did not write any citation. They viewed their job primarily as one of education and not citation.”
There will be time for public comment before the vote. The meeting starts at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.