CEDAR PARK, Texas — Starting Wednesday, July 1, face covering and social distancing requirements began at businesses in Cedar Park and Leander in hopes of slowing the spread of COVID-19.
Cedar Park Mayor Corbin Van Arsdale issued an emergency order this week, making face masks mandatory at businesses and nonprofits. This is in response to the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the area. He believes this will protect those in the community.
“Our WilCo ICU bed usage is at 88%, and is expected to fill soon if big changes don’t happen right now,” said Mayor Van Arsdale. “Cedar Park has only four ICU beds currently available. One of us, or someone we care about, may need an ICU bed this summer. We must do everything we can to make sure that the bed will be there. Since I’ve been on the city council, I don’t remember receiving more emails/phone calls about any issue than I have in the last 10 days on the issue of face coverings. The ratio from residents has been 9-to-1 in favor of businesses requiring face coverings.”
So, as of July 1, every person more than the age of 10 who is inside a business or building has to wear a mask and that’s when you’re within 6 feet of another person. A Cedar Park business owner believes city leaders made the right call for the safety of the community.
“I think the main thing is they wanted us to stay open,” said Amanda Madden, co-owner Grit & Grace Boutique. “It would be very difficult for a lot of us business owners to go through another shutdown. And if this is what it takes to keep people healthy and businesses open, it’s just a small price and a small thing to do.”
Madden also said it makes it easier for businesses.
“It just removes the do we, do we not, what’s the right thing, what does everybody want us to do," said Madden. "It kind of takes the guesswork out of that and we as business owners can just all be on the same playing field, all have the same rules, all know what we’re going to do moving forward.”
Some exceptions to the mask rule in Cedar Park include:
- When eating, drinking or smoking
- When outdoors
- When a person is engaged in exercise or physical activity at a gym or exercise facility
- When wearing a face covering poses a greater health, safety or security risk than not wearing one
- When a person is within 6 feet of another person but is separated from that person by Plexiglass or another mitigation strategy that provides adequate separation
- When inside a building or facility that requires security surveillance or screening, such as a bank or financial institution
- When under the age of 13 and attending a daycare, childcare, youth camp or sports camp
It will continue until the order is terminated or the Declaration of Local State of Disaster for the City of Cedar Park.
In Leander, Mayor Troy Hill issued a disaster declaration for the city and put in the new order focusing more on social distancing. It requires customers and employees of a local business to either stay at least 6 feet apart or wear face coverings.
"The region's recent spike in positive coronavirus cases is alarming," said Hill. "Although it hasn't hit our city as hard as others, I want to give Leander businesses an opportunity to protect themselves and their customers. In consultation with neighboring city mayors, we all agree that redoubling this prevention effort is critical to keeping local business alive."
Some exceptions to the requirement in Leander include:
- When a person is with members of the same household and is social distancing from non-household members
- When consuming food or drink
- When a person is outdoors and social distancing
- When wearing a mask poses a health or safety risk
Businesses in Cedar Park and Leander should have signs up showing the new requirement.
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