The conservative majority on Aurora Metropolis Council is making an attempt to choose the complete metropolis out of a masks mandate for companies due to a tiny slice of Aurora in Dougco.
AURORA, Colo. — A gaggle of present and soon-to-be seated Republican Aurora Metropolis Council members and town’s mayor despatched a letter to town supervisor Tuesday, arguing town shouldn’t implement a brand new masks mandate ordered by the Tri-County Well being Division (TCHD) as a result of a portion of their metropolis is in Douglas County.
Douglas County commissioners voted this fall to begin their very own public well being division after disagreeing with TCHD on a few of its COVID restrictions. The brand new Douglas County well being board didn’t be a part of the opposite well being boards within the metro space in ordering a masks mandate Tuesday.
“The masks mandate doesn’t apply in Douglas County and that creates some inconsistencies for our residents and our companies,” stated Aurora councilmember Curtis Gardner, certainly one of six different Republican metropolis council members to signal on to the letter.
“I do assume masks are sensible,” he stated. “I feel it’s best to put on a masks. I feel it’s best to get vaccinated. I’m boosted. And I feel everybody ought to try this. My drawback with that is the inconsistency it creates for our residents.”
Aurora exists in three counties at the moment. Nearly all of town is in Arapahoe County, some is in Adams County, and a small sliver of town is in Douglas County.
Gardner and the opposite council members say the state of Colorado ought to problem a mandate as a substitute of the native well being departments. He blamed the break up with Tri-County Well being for creating lots of confusion.
“Finally, what I wish to see is the state to problem a masks mandate or the state to problem steering, and finally, I’d be supportive within the metropolis supervisor implementing that,” Gardner stated.
Gardner’s colleagues on the opposite facet of the political spectrum chided the group, claiming they’re making an attempt to create an exception to a public well being order for a small inhabitants.
The less than 3,000 individuals who stay within the Douglas County portion of Aurora make up lower than one p.c of town’s inhabitants.
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The realm additionally consists of no business companies the place the masks mandate would apply.
“That is truthfully one of many issues I used to be dreading would occur if we ended up with a Republican majority,” Juan Marcano, a Democrat socialist on Aurora Metropolis Council stated Tuesday. “And I used to be actually hoping a few of my colleagues wouldn’t purchase into that mess, however right here we’re.”
“This has been a political soccer in terms of conservatives on this nation, and it’s actually disgusting to see that occuring right here regionally.”
Marcano and his fellow councilwoman Alison Coombs, additionally a Democrat socialist, accused their colleagues of making an attempt to make an exemption for a lot of individuals primarily based on one neighborhood.
“I can’t assist however assume that it’s a political motivator slightly than a reasoned public coverage debate,” Coombs stated.
“It wasn’t even 12 hours later that six of them received collectively to jot down a letter.”
A spokesman for town of Aurora stated metropolis leaders hadn’t acquired the order from TCHD but.
“As soon as town has acquired the order, we’ll evaluation it with our authorized division and decide our position with the order,” Brannen stated.
The well being division that issued the order confirmed there isn’t any enterprise in that small space of Aurora in Douglas County that must implement the order.
“We are able to definitely perceive the frustration about totally different guidelines throughout Aurora’s three counties,” Tri-County Well being spokeswoman Becky O’Guin wrote. “The excellent news is that the Douglas County a part of Aurora is residential and never topic to this order, which applies solely to public indoor areas.”
“TCHD continues to have a terrific working relationship with the Aurora Metropolis workers and councilmembers and can meet with Mayor [Mike] Coffman after the Thanksgiving vacation to debate any considerations they might have in regards to the present public well being order in addition to the foremost profit that it may present to the residents of Aurora by lowering transmission and serving to native hospitals keep away from the necessity to begin rationing of care,” she wrote.
Gardner stated he understands there are not any companies on this space of Aurora, however stated he fears individuals will drive to Douglas County to do their enterprise the place they don’t must do a masks.
“By having inconsistent masks mandates it offers them the choice to take their cash and their tax income over to Douglas County,” Gardner stated.
Marcano stated he doubts many individuals will try this.
“If a handful of individuals actually need to inconvenience themselves to go elsewhere nicely out of their strategy to spend their cash — that’s their resolution,” Marcano stated.
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