GAMBIER — Gambier council further discussed extending the village’s mask mandate, though how to implement it remains unclear.
One suggestion is to tie COVID-19 transmission to the wastewater, though there was skepticism at the meeting.
Wastewater would be sampled to look for fragments of the virus that causes the disease, according to the Ohio Coronavirus Wastewater Monitoring Network.
Gambier Mayor Leeman Kessler said he’d would want a metric that corresponds to a high level of transmission, similar to the CDCs current COVID-19 statutes.
As of Tuesday, Knox County is at a ‘medium’ community spread.
In February, the CDC announced they no longer require the wearing of masks on buses or vans operated by public or private school systems, including early care and education/child care programs.
The CDC also recommends instead of quarantine, those exposed to COVID-19 should wear a high-quality mask for 10 days and get tested on day 5.
“Emphasizing that physical distance is just one component of how to protect yourself and others,” CDC’s August release states. “It is important to consider the risk in a particular setting, including local COVID-19 Community Levels and the importance role of ventilation, when assessing the need to maintain physical distance.”
The ordinance will have one more reading at October’s meeting, then it’ll be put up for a vote.
At August’s meeting, Council member Morgan Giles voiced concern over extending the mandate, citing most of village businesses he’s spoken with are against the ordinance.
Council member Liz Foreman asked Village Administrator R.C. Wise if COVID-19 stats for the village could be put on Gambier’s website.
