GREEN BAY, Wis. (NBC 26) -- On Monday, Green Bay Mayor Eric Genrich announced plans for a city-wide face covering requirement. It would require people to wear a face covering in indoor public spaces. If the ordinance passes the city council Tuesday, it will be enforced in the city of Green Bay beginning July 27.
As for enforcing the face covering requirement, Mayor Genrich said it will be handled like a trespassing violation. He said a number of retailers have publicly stated they already put a mask requirement in place or have plans to do so soon. He said if someone isn't abiding by their policies, they could call police and report that person for trespassing. This is how, the mayor said, the city-wide requirement would be handled, as well.
There are some exceptions to those who would be required to wear a mask in any indoor public setting, including children under 5-years-old and those with medical conditions.
The mayor also said businesses would have to know the ordinance and ask people to abide by it. He added that a business could lose its license if it isn't complying with the ordinance.
Green Bay Police Chief Andrew Smith said if the ordinance passes, the police department will enforce it.
"In this particular case, it sounds like the onus for this is going to be on the business owner. So whoever owns that business is going to be responsible for making sure that people coming into that business have a mask on. The only time police will get involved is if there's somebody that maybe has been asked to put a mask on and refuses to leave, in which case, we'll have a trespass," added Chief Smith.
He said right now, if a business reports someone is not complying with the business's rules and wants that person to leave, police would ask the person to leave, and educate the individual on the laws, in this case, what the mask ordinance is. If they refuse to leave, he said they would warn them that if they refuse to comply, they would be subject to arrest for trespassing. He said they could arrest the person if they still don't comply. Chief Smith added that trespassing is a minor municipal citation that would likely be a minor fine. He said that the goal is to get voluntary compliance, adding that they don't want to see anyone get cited or see any business's license revoked.
Mayor Genrich said there won't be "mask police." Chief Smith said officers will respond if called, but they won't be driving through the city looking for people entering businesses without a mask. He said he expects business owners to do that.
The mayor stated he sees this more as an educational effort than involving a lot of enforcement and citations. He said there is a lot of discretion built into the ordinance and police officers' focus will be on providing information and getting compliance. He added he thinks most people will abide by the ordinance, if it does pass. He also said they will be taking people at their word if they say they cannot wear a mask for medical reasons.
The mask requirement will be voted on by the city council on Tuesday.
