Dalton officials urge residents to take measures to slow COVID spread

Dalton elected leaders urge folks to take preventative measures to slow spread of covid.

Covid 19 is spiking there, too.

News 12's dorothy sherman explains why they want you to wear a mask, but they won't make you wear a mask.

Dsherman@wdef.com/dorothy sherman: "dalton officials are only requiring facial coverings at city owned facilities like city hall.

And it the moment it appears that there's no plans to try to pass a city-wide requirement."

Dalton mayor david pennington: "the covid-19 pandemic is not over."

Dalton mayor david pennington reads a statement during the dalton city council meeting monday night.

He's urging residents to take coronavirus preventative measures as the county is experiencing what he says is an "upsurge" of cases.

Dalton mayor david pennington: "it's extremely significant here and as i said i see no problem with people wearing masks.

Why not try it.

If it indeed causes these tremendous benefits why not try it.

I don't understand why people are hesitating to wear masks voluntarily."

Some are calling for more to be done.

Area hospitals have asked the county and city to implement mask mandates.

"this is not just about coivd, it's about maintaining enough staff and space to treat everybody."

Just last week, whitfield county commissioners shot down a county-wide mask mandate.

The dalton mayor says they have no current plans to try to pass one.

Dalton mayor david pennington: "the thing that the governor gave us the authority to do had so many holes in it.

So many exceptions that we would be chasing our tail trying to enforce it.

Cause what would happen is that people would call in about people who do not have a mask on, on private property and then the police would go out and we'd find out that they have an exemption that we can't even enforce it."

Dalton mayor david pennington: "it's very easily solved, number 1 the governor in some states have issued their own mask mandate for the whole state or number 2 take all those exceptions that they've granted for different businesses, individuals."

Dsherman@wdef.com/dorothy sherman: "do you think that needs to be done in state?"

Dalton mayor david pennington: "i mean, what do you think?

Obviously we've got some of the most serious issues in this county.

We know that."

Dsherman@wdef.com/dorothy sherman: "as for the mask requirement at city buildings, the mayor says they will have that in place as long as they can or until there's a vaccine they'll consider doing away with it .

In dalton, dorothy