Phoenix Council Approves Citywide Face Mask Requirement
A citywide requirement that people wear face coverings in public will take effect in Phoenix on Saturday at 6 a.m. Today, the City Council approved the emergency regulation as Arizona continues to see more COVID-19 cases. The policy will focus on education with an element of enforcement.
Phoenix Police Chief Jeri Wiliams says the regulation puts her officers in a challenging situation. She made it clear the department will approach it as a public health issue and only respond if the department gets a complaint.
“We’re going to hand folks a flyer and pretty much turn around and walk away. In egregious circumstances and in cases if for some reasons it turns into a contact where we have to issue a citation I will have to mandate a supervisor be present to do so," Williams said.
The noncriminal citation carries a fine up $250. Face coverings can be masks, bandanas, scarves, pretty much any cloth that covers the nose and mouth. They’re required when people are outside their homes and within six feet of others who are not family or members of their household. There are several exceptions including medical and religious reasons.
