OXFORD, Ohio — The Oxford City Council has reimplemented an indoor mask mandate. Individuals will be required to wear a face covering while indoors in all public spaces.
There are exceptions, including when individuals are eating or drinking or participating in a sport. Individuals also do not need to wear a face covering when in a private workspace not open to the public, or if they are receiving a service that would a mask would prevent. The mandate does not apply to children under the age of 2.
“If that’s what we have to do, that's what we have to do,” said Tom Hogeback, who owns Village West Framing & Gallery in Oxford.
Hogeback said he hopes the move keeps the virus at bay, especially as students head back to Miami University for classes next week.
“They're going to be bringing things from where they came from back home,” he said. “So masks, I think, are a good idea.”
The move didn’t surprise Kristi Abrams, who works at Attitudes Uptown, a salon in Oxford.
“We were used to it, we have to have them on anyway,” she said. “I feel like it's a personal choice for the customer, whether they want to wear it or not.”
Businesses can call the city manager's office to receive free boxes of surgical masks while supplies last.
“I think we're all so tired of COVID we don't want to be dealing with it anymore either,” said Oxford Assistant City Manager Jessica Greene. “And yet, at the same time, our city council and leaders in the city feel like this is a step that's important to keep everybody safe.”
To read the full ordinance, click here. The requirement will remain in effect until March 1.
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