Independence drops mask order after just one week, cites confusion

By BETSY WEBSTER

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    INDEPENDENCE, MO (KCTV) — The announcement from the City of Independence Tuesday was sudden and brief with little explanation of why a mandate would be lifted so soon after being imposed.

“Following careful consideration, we are rescinding the public health order and returning to the public health advisory, which strongly encourages masks in all indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status,” Mayor Eileen Weir said in a statement emailed shortly before 2 p.m.

The short-lived mandate was much narrower than the ones in Kansas City and St. Louis that placed requirements on private businesses open to the public. Those mandates drew the ire of Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt, who filed lawsuits to stop them.

In Independence, the mask mandate was just for city-owned buildings. The city manager explained later in that day that that’s exactly why he lifted it: to combat confusion by creating consistency.

The mask rules at places like city hall went up a week ago. They were created by the city manager the day after the CDC recommended masks in public, indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status.

“We did this in an effort to protect employees to a degree but largely to protect the community that we serve,” said Independence City Manager Zach Walker.

Buildings impacted ranged from city hall and the police department to the community center and Cable Dahmer Arena, which is also owned by the city.

Regulating masks in private businesses requires the mayor and eventually the city council to act. Independence Mayor Eileen Weir stuck to just recommending masks. Walker said as a week went by it was clear the divergent approaches weren’t working out.

“We were getting a lot of phone calls. Our council was letting us know that they were getting a lot of feedback about confusion,” Walker said on Tuesday, “So, today we made the decision to align the two.”

Jeanne Rider had just returned to the community center after months recovering from surgery. Count her among the confused.

1 Odd Trick Restores Your Eyes To Perfect 20/20 Vision 1 Odd Trick Restores Your Eyes To Perfect 20/20 Vision Sponsored by TruthAboutVision.com See More “I don’t think I know where to go to have a mask or not have a mask,” she said.

“They’re trying to understand, ‘What am I supposed to do here? And why is it different here than when I go down the street to HyVee?’” Walker detailed.

“The grocery store is just as important or not important as any of our city buildings,” mused Rider.

Two women who came for a yoga class suspected confusion isn’t the only sentiment behind the move.

“I think there’s a lot of confusion all around, not just here,” said yoga student Kelly Edelman. “And, I think the decision-makers are trying to relieve some tension.”

“I think that when you try to please everybody, you end up pleasing nobody,” said yoga teacher Teri Cartwright, questioning the value of the move to retreat.

Walker said he considered requiring masks for city staff only but is holding off. He said infection rates among staff are lower than for the population as a whole. For now, he plans to monitor and is ready to adjust.

Asked if he’d like to see elected officials create a mandate to allow for a different version of consistent policy, he switched to the other key COVID topic.

“My hope in my role as city manager is that people will elect to get vaccinated at one of the many clinics that the City of Independence Health Department offers,” he said, “and then this conversation goes away.”

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