PORTLAND, Maine — Portland officials declined to issue a citywide universal masking mandate Monday. Instead, the city passed a resolution to roll out another public relations campaign, encouraging people to observe recommendations from the Center for Disease Control to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The campaign will “support businesses and organizations looking to encourage people to mask while indoors, to get vaccinated, to wash hands and maintain physical distance from one another,” Mayor Kate Snyder said.
Portlanders can expect more signage for shop windows.
The resolution has no enforcement mechanism.
City officials have debated a mask mandate for indoor settings for weeks. A September 20 council vote resulted in a tie, prompting Snyder to make an amendment removing language that would enforce universal masking.
The decision not to enforce a mandate came after divided sentiment from residents. The city received letters of support for a mandate from several business owners, while others argued it would hamper revenues.
Several medical leaders pushed for indoor masking. A joint recommendation from Northern Light Mercy Hospital and Maine Medical Center supported indoor mask wearing, but deferred to the city council.
Renee Fay-LeBlanc, executive director of Greater Portland Health, also urged the city to adopt a mandate.
Councilor Mark Dion said he supported whatever the city could do to “encourage individual responsibility.”
“I think government works best when it seeks the voluntary compliance of our residents and visitors,” Dion said.
Councilor April Fournier supported the educational campaign, but didn’t “think it was enough to make the change we need.”
“I think if we could rely on personal responsibility [to protect against the virus], we’d have seen a much higher vaccination rate as soon as they became available,” said Fournier, who was infected with a breakthrough case of the virus earlier this year.
Portland coffee shop owner, Councilor Andrew Zarro, didn’t see the amendment as an alternative to a mask mandate, and hoped to revisit the issue if cases worsen in the winter.