Fargo Will NOT Issue Citywide Mask Mandate. Will Minot?

Over the course of the on-going COVID-19 nightmare that won't end, Governor Doug Burgum has left mask/ pandemic-related decisions mostly up to induvial cities. And a few weeks ago, the Fargo City Council decided to draft and vote on a policy for a citywide mask mandate. Yesterday (October 5), the vote happened, and can you guess which way the vote went?

According to Valley News Live (Fargo), the Fargo City Commissioners rejected a mask mandate in a 3-2 vote. The report says that there were two proposals - one with a civil penalty, and one without one. Even though a policy didn't pass, residents are still encouraged to wear masks when social distancing is not possible. Get the full story from Valley News Live here.

So, no policy was enacted in Fargo. Will Minot be the first North Dakota city to enact one? According to KFYR-TV, the Minot City Council discussed a mask mandate for public facilities. Get that full story from KFYR-TV here.

I was honestly a little surprised that a citywide mask mandate was not issued for Fargo. But I am even more surprised that the next North Dakota city to toss around the idea of a mandate is Minot. It will be interesting to see how this vote goes. But it is probably safe to say that if one city mandates masks, most others will probably follow suit.

Do you think other cities in North Dakota will look at enacting mask mandate policies?