The Leon County Commission is trying to figure out how far it can go with its mask mandate. It comes after Florida State University fans were seen at the first football game without masks and sitting closely. Photos and videos circulating on social media also show mask-less students in apartment complexes tailgating in large numbers.
"It was absolutely an embarrassment. Across the country people were seeing this. Like, ‘oh, in Tallahassee, no rules apply.’ And even the kids are saying it…they are not mature individuals…and I’m sorry, but I was just horrified, because they do spill out beyond the gates of Doak Campbell stadium," said Commissioner Mary Ann Lindley, calling the students "thoughtless and selfish."
Leon County has more than 9,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 with most of them coming in the weeks since students returned to the college and university campuses.
According to the New York Times' Coronavirus tracker board, the county is among 100 "Hotspots" for infections. Florida State University has more than 1,200 confirmed cases. Florida A&M University, which is enforcing a strict curfew on its students, has seen about 45 cases reported voluntarily.
Local law enforcement has expressed reluctance in enforcing the county’s existing mask mandate, and many of the large-scale gatherings have happened off-campus on private residences where compliance is voluntary.
