ST. LOUIS COUNTY (KMOX/AP) - St. Louis County Executive Dr. Sam Page insisted Wednesday that a mask mandate remained in place even though the county commission voted to overturn it. He says he's confident the mandate will hold up in court.
"I want to make it clear that the mask mandate remains in place in St. Louis County," Page says.
“This virus, these cases and this curve is shooting straight up and if we don’t make some decisions fast we are going to be in a bad spot,” Page said. “If we can follow the recommendations of our public health department and the CDC and all the other experts, we will continue to be in a better spot. But we are headed for some tough times.”
The St. Louis County Council voted 5-2 on Tuesday to end the county’s mask mandate, saying Page did not consult with them before issuing it. Orders took effect Monday there and in the city of St. Louis, requiring everyone age 5 or older to wear masks in inside public spaces and on public transportation even if they are vaccinated. The vote didn't effect the city's mandate.
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The mandates prompted Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt to immediately file a lawsuit in an effort to stop them. Page said that until the lawsuit was resolved, “masks will be required in all indoor public spaces.”
Page believes the lawsuit will fail – like eight others filed by Schmitt against St. Louis County over health orders also have. He also criticized the lawsuit over the cost of litigation.
Questions over the legality of local mask requirements stem from a law Republican Gov. Mike Parson signed last month that limits the duration of local public health restrictions and bars governments from requiring proof of COVID-19 vaccination to use public facilities and transportation. Although the law doesn’t specifically mention masks, it allows the governing body of any city or county to end a public health order issued for the purpose of preventing the spread of a contagious disease by a majority vote.
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