The Las Cruces City Council unanimously approved Resolution 20-167 at a Special Council Meeting, on Monday, June 8, which encourages the public to wear face coverings in retail and commercial businesses in the city limits due to the Corona Virus pandemic.
The Resolution is in lieu of Ordinance No. 2929, which could have required face coverings to be worn by the public in retail and commercial businesses with exceptions - aligned with the State of New Mexico Covid-19 Public Health Order - for eating, drinking, exercising, children 3-years-old and younger, or those with other personal health concerns prohibiting the use of a face covering.
City Council indefinitely tabled Ordinance 2929 at a special meeting on Friday, June 5. Instead, it focused on Resolution 20-167 which has no punitive consequences.
If it had been enacted, Ordinance 2929 could have left those in violation of the Ordinance facing consequences of a misdemeanor charge, punishable by a fine as much as $500 and/or 90 days in jail. But at Monday’s Special Meeting, several council members said they preferred voluntary compliance rather than enforcement and did not want the effort to be punitive, which led to the proposal and approval of this resolution.