County Mayor Jim Coppinger said Wednesday that the mask mandate is not a political issue.
He told members of the County Commission, "This has nothing to do with peoples' liberties. Everyone who tries to make it a political issue is just plain wrong.
"I hope we never let politics get in the way of the health and safety of the people we represent."
He said, "Nobody is going to be put in jail" for not wearing a mask.
The county mayor said masks are not a guarantee of not getting the COVID-19, but they "not only protect you, they protect others against you."
He stated, "Wearing a mask and social distancing give you a better chance" of not coming down with the sometimes-fatal virus.
He acknowledged that August was the deadliest month yet in Hamilton County in COVID cases, but he said "the numbers are trending down."
County Mayor Coppinger said a lawsuit was filed against a local business for violating the mask mandate put down July 10 because he said after some six visits and a phone call "the company said, 'We're not going to comply.' "
He said other local businesses went along with the requirement after discussions with health officials.
The county mayor said most business owners reported that their customers felt safer with everyone wearing masks.
County Mayor Coppinger said a friend to him and other county officials is in the hospital now battling for his life with the coronavirus. He said the man's family said he believed strongly in wearing a mask and was bothered when others did not. He said the man's family does not know where he picked up the virus.