Letter to the Palm Beach County Board of County Commissioners - PBC Congressional Delegation Urges County to Require Masks in Essential Indoor Establishments to Stop COVID-19 Spread

Letter

Dear Commissioners,

We write you with a sense of urgency due to the spiking of COVID-19 cases in Palm Beach
County and Florida. Scientists at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of
Pennsylvania predict that Florida could be the next epicenter of the disease. To help stem this
imminent threat, we ask you to require masks to be worn in all essential indoor establishments
and other locations as recommended by our county health officials. We further request that you
step up all communications on CDC guidelines including social distancing, mask wearing, and
hand washing.

On Monday, Florida recorded nearly 2,800 new COVID-19 cases, the highest number of new
and confirmed cases in a single day. In Palm Beach County yesterday, there were 344 new cases
and 12 deaths compared to 77 cases and 6 deaths two weeks ago. As of today, the County has 74
percent of its 319 beds occupied, and some hospitals have few or no adult ICU beds available.
This is alarming and requires responsible actions by everyone.

No one should have to choose between our health and our economy -- in fact, a healthy economy
cannot exist without a healthy workforce and healthy customers. It is both unfair and unsafe that
people who wear masks in supermarkets, drug stores and other businesses open to the public
should be put at risk by those who do not.

It is not sufficient that Palm Beach County requires masks on public transit and in government
buildings, but only "encourages" masks for other essential services. Sixteen states and the
District of Columbia already require masks to be worn by employees and customers when
accessing essential services and many localities have also implemented their own requirements.
For example, Denver, Colorado issued a comprehensive order requiring facemasks to be worn by
individuals in public spaces.i For your information, we have attached a link at the end of this
letter with a list of Statewide orders as of June 18, 2020. ii

Symptomatic, pre-symptomatic, and asymptotic people with COVID-19 can all be contagious
via respiratory transmission, which is why the CDC recommends the use of face coverings to
reduce the spread of the virus. According to a recent study published in a prominent health
journal, states that required the use of face coverings have prevented 230,000 to 450,000 cases of
COVID-19 between the dates of April 8 and May 15.iii In fact, medical experts agree that
wearing a mask reduces the risk of spreading or contracting the virus.

Unfortunately, it is evident that many people are not well informed about why masks and social
distancing are important. We therefore urge you to intensify communications to the public on
CDC guidelines, including social distancing, mask wearing, and hand washing. All of this is
critical to ensure our businesses can remain open and workers and customers can remain safe.
Thank you for your time and consideration of this important issue. Our offices stand ready to
assist your efforts.

Sincerely,