Tulsa City Council To Discuss Lowering Age Requirement For Mask Mandate

Tulsa's citywide mask mandate could change soon.

City councilors will talk on Wednesday about lowering the age for those required to wear masks. Right now, anyone under 18 is exempt.

City councilors will not be voting, just discussing the issue, but they plan to talk to experts about the best course of action.

Tulsa's mask mandate was passed by city councilors two months ago on July 15. The ordinance requires everyone in the city wear a mask in public, with some exceptions. If you're under 18, you're not required to you wear one.

Tulsa City Councilor Crista Patrick said tomorrow's meeting is all about digging into data.

"We've been getting a lot of questions about whether kids should wear masks or shouldn't wear masks, so we wanted to ask Dr. Dart about that specifically," Patrick said.

Tulsa Health Department Executive Director Doctor Dart will be there to answer questions, especially as some schools in Green Country have been back in the classroom for a couple of weeks now.

"Has there been a rise in numbers since school has been back in session for some, or more importantly that school functions have been back in session like football games and volleyball games and stuff," Patrick said.

Many school districts are requiring most of their students to wear masks while at school.

Patrick said there won't be any vote anytime soon, but it's important to see how the city should deal with masks going forward.

"We just want to ask the questions,” Patrick said. “We don't know what the answers will be, or at least I don't, and it's especially important that I'm a parent, so I'm just as invested as what's the right thing to do as a parent for my child, as I am as a city councilor.” 

Tulsa's current mask mandate is set to expire November 30. Mayor GT Bynum said given the levels of cases and hospitalizations, he believes extending the mask ordinance is a responsible move.

To watch the Tulsa City Council meeting, CLICK HERE.