Recently, the Rexburg City Council voted on and passed a face mask initiative to stem the spread of the coronavirus.
The city council faced the rebuttal of many locals after they considered passing a mandate that would require people to wear face masks in public.
After a group of protestors came to the city council meeting where they voted on the issue, Rexburg Mayor Jerry Merrill pushed a face mask initiative, rather than a mandate.
“People are pretty passionate about not being told what to do, and I don’t blame them,” Merrill said. “But, on the other hand, we feel like we have a responsibility for the safety of the public.”
Since the “United We Stand Against COVID-19” initiative passed, the number of active cases of the coronavirus in Madison County have dropped.
Last week, cases got as low as 19, but as of July 28, cases have risen back up to 27.
Mayor Merrill has since been posting live videos on Facebook each day to update as many people as possible about how many cases are active per day.
Mayor Merrill encourages everyone consistently to do the little things to help stem the spread of the coronavirus, including:
- Handwashing
- Not touching one’s face
- Wearing a face mask when social distancing is not possible
- Social distancing
“We encourage people to…do things we need to do…the basics,” Merrill said. “The best teams are always those that are good at the fundamentals.”
To see Mayor Merrill’s daily update videos online, join and check out the “I <3 Life in Rexburg” Facebook Page.