Columbia health department director proposes more masking in Columbia

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia/Boone County Public Health & Human Services director asked the Columbia City Council on Monday to consider having masks again in city facilities.

"I really believe everybody should be wearing their mask indoors, regardless of vaccination status, because we need to protect our kids, we need to protect people that are vulnerable," said Stephanie Browning, the Columbia/Boone County Public Health & Human Services director.

Browning provided city council with an update on the COVID-19 pandemic. During the update, Browning said Columbia, "is not in the worst place but is not where we want to be."

Ward 6 councilmember Betsy Peters asked how a new mandate would be different from the previous mandate.

"In the past, when we last had a mask ordinance, it was to keep the health care system from being overwhelmed and because we didn't have vaccinations available," Peters said. "Do we need to try and do that again?"

"We really do have all the tools," Browning said. "We have a vaccine that works, we have some people that don't want to get it, but the vaccine is our primary focus."

Browning says vaccine initiation has increased in the last two weeks. She said the department is focusing on outreach events and said vaccine tool kits are going out to 1,500 businesses this week.