Agenda - Council - 07/28/2020 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Councilmember introduced the following resolution and moved for its adoption: RESOLUTION #20-163 DEMONSTRATING VALUES OF KINDNESS AND RESPECT DURING UNPRECEDENTED TIMES WHEREAS, COVID-19 is a respiratory disease that can result in serious illness or death, is caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is a new strain of coronavirus that had not been previously identified in humans and can easily spread from person to person. The virus is spread between individuals who are in close contact with each other (within about six feet) through respiratory droplets. It may be possible that individuals can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or eyes; and WHEREAS, on January 30, 2020, the International Health Regulations Emergency Committee of the World Health Organization declared the outbreak of COVID-19 a public health emergency of international concern; and WHEREAS, the Governor's Executive Order declaring a State of Emergency for the entire State of Minnesota urged all citizens to heed to the advice of the Department of Health and other emergency officials regarding COVID-19 in order to protect their health and safety; and provided education to local governments and residents including social distancing, hand washing, quarantining when symptomatic and WHEREAS, the CDC has advised those that have possible or confirmed COVID-19 to stay home from work, school, and away from other public places; and WHEREAS, a local and statewide State of Emergency continues to exist with limits on mass gatherings and requirements of physical distancing; and WHEREAS, As the World Health Organization (WHO) states in their interim guidance on masks: "At present, there is no direct evidence (from studies on COVID-19 and in healthy people in the community) on the effectiveness of universal masking of healthy people in the community to prevent infection with respiratory viruses, including COVID- 19." and WHEREAS, The National Academy of Science wrote in April: "There are no studies of individuals wearing homemade fabric masks in the course of their typical activities" and added, "The current level of benefit, if any, is not possible to assess." and WHEREAS, Dr. Mike Osterholm says, the "highest frequency of mask -wearing" was in Hubei, China and it "didn't make a difference." He also emphasizes, "if you don't have an N95 [mask] you're not protected." One of Dr. Osterholm's concerns is that those at risk of severe COVID disease will assume the mask gives them a level of protection they don't have and thereby put themselves in harm's way.