Sevier County Is Considering Choice About Keeping Mask Mandate

Officials in Sevier County are discussing whether they should keep the mask mandate going for a while longer. The one currently set in place is due to expire October 20, 2020, at midnight Friday.

Governor Bill Lee empowered mayors, such as Mayor Larry Waters of Sevier County, to issue local mask mandates through executive orders which apply throughout the rest of the year. Governor Lee, thus far, has resisted the idea of a mandate being implemented statewide.

WVLT News spoke to Mayor Water’s office, who said they were absolutely concerned about COVID cases rising. Having said that, they had not made a final decision on an extension of the previous mask mandate, even though state officials pointed out that general cases of COVID-19 were rising. Hospitalizations had also been rising, having recently hit an all-time high.

David Wear is the mayor of Pigeon Forge. He says that even though numbers are rising, he thinks that numbers would have gone even higher had there not originally been a mandate. Mayor Wear also points out that tourism went up a lot in the last eight weeks, likely due to guests feeling much safer.

He knows that guests know there is a mask mandate in place, and focus groups seem to indicate tourism is up because tourists feel safer in a space with a mask mandate. He also notes many grocery stores and restaurants are mandating masks whether there is a government mandate or not.

The original mask mandate took effect in the month of July, but Mayor Waters extended that specific order for another 30 days each following month.

Before making the decision each month, Mayor Waters has been in consultation with leadership from all three cities regarding what they collectively want to see going forward.

Mayor Waters believes that Sevier County has handled the pandemic rather well starting back in the month of March through present day. He is particularly proud of the ‘fantastic job’ done by the hospital.

Given how the pandemic is likely to linger for many more months, such decisions are going to be faced by local governments for some time to come.