City of Birmingham face covering ordinance amended
Mayor Randall L. Woodfin has recommended and the Birmingham City Council has approved an amended mandatory face covering ordinance currently in effect. The updated ordinance focuses on requirements concerning offices, job sites, children and daycare facilities. The ordinance will be in effect through 11:59 p.m. on May 15, 2020 unless the situation surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic requires an extension.
The ordinance requires facial coverings in public places in the city to slow the spread of the coronavirus disease.
While the ordinance provides an exemption for children under the age of two, it also clarifies requirements for children 8 years old and younger. Parents, guardians and caregivers of children eight years old or younger should exercise judgment regarding the ability of those children to consistently wear a face covering or mask.
Daycares and other childcare establishments shall provide parents with information on the facility’s procedures for use of face coverings or masks. Where the consistent use of face coverings or masks are not possible due to the supervision of multiple children, the facility should adhere to sanitary, hygienic and face covering practices to the maximum extent practicable.
Additional changes include identifying exemptions due to safety risks at work sites. The ordinance details exemptions where a face covering may pose a risk to people:
- Working on ladders or at height
- Wearing other respiratory protection
- Heavy physical exertion
- Operating heavy equipment
- Working in an environment where a face covering or mask hinders communications
In such cases where there are exemptions, employers are encouraged to structure work to promote social distancing and limit close contact as much as possible.
The ordinance also specifies people do not need to wear a face covering while working alone in separate office spaces or in non-public workplaces where there is more than adequate social distancing, based on the size of and number of people in the space.
People should be prepared to put on a face covering when interacting with others, particularly in groups of 10 or more people or where social distancing cannot be maintained.
Exemptions identified in the original ordinance remain in place, including:
- Exercise
- People receiving medical or dental examinations
- Physical and mental health and safety reasons
Both the ordinance and a set of frequently asked questions may be reviewed at www.birminghamal.gov/coronavirus
