FALMOUTH, Maine — Amid the ongoing surge of COVID-19 in Maine, the Falmouth Town Council voted against instituting a mask mandate Monday night.
The proposal aimed to follow other nearby communities, including Portland, South Portland, Freeport, Brunswick and Bath, in requiring face coverings in all indoor public spaces.
Ultimately, councilors voted 4-3 against the mandate in an emergency meeting held via Zoom.
Those in support of the measure said they believed it was a crucial step in preventing the ongoing spread of the virus.
"I think the end of it is to feel as we did in the summer when, if you were double vaccinated, you were pretty safe," Councilor Peter Lafond said. "You could relax. You didn't have to worry about getting it, or more importantly perhaps, especially with those of us with older relatives, we didn't have to worry about transmitting it either."
Those against it, while largely supporting mask wearing, feared creating a rule that would go beyond current state guidelines.
"For myself, I am a real proponent for mask wearing, but it makes me nervous, us applying our judgement over the experts, to make a rule and I don't know how we'll enforce it, and I don't know when we'll know to get rid of it," Council Chair Amy Kuhn said.
Governor Janet Mills has voiced her support for towns and cities instituting their own mandates, but has not gone so far as to back a statewide one.