BRANSON, Mo. _ Nearly two weeks after a meeting where many residents railed against the idea of being told to wear a mask, the Branson Board of Aldermen passed a mandate Tuesday afternoon to try to keep the tourist destination from becoming a COVID-19 hotspot.
The ordinance, which will go into effect Friday, passed 4-1. Alderman Larry Milton was the only member to vote no.
"The first goal of an alderman is the health and welfare and safety of our citizens _ it is the No. 1 concern," said Bill Skains, who explained to the crowd that Branson hasn't seen yet what other cities and towns have seen. "It hasn't hit us here yet, and I'm scared. ... It's coming, and it's coming like a freight train."
Residents and tourists in Branson will now be required to wear a mask in public places. However, the ordinance carves out exceptions for certain medical conditions and activities.
For instance, there is an exception for those who are in places such as bars, restaurants or theaters if they are seated and separated by six feet from other parties.
On July 16, the board met for about 8 { hours and heard from more than three dozen speakers, the majority of whom spoke against a mandate.
Business owners said they feared it would turn tourists away from the southwest Missouri town.
A month ago, Taney County had recorded just 43 coronavirus cases. By early this month, the number had increased to the triple digits. On Tuesday, Missouri state officials reported 284 cases in the county.
Those numbers don't take into account the tourists who go to the Branson area and test positive for the virus once they return home. Their cases are counted in their home county and state.
Lisa Marshall, Taney County's health director, said she's spoken with Branson leaders regularly since the pandemic began. Her office continues to ask people to take personal responsibility by wearing masks, practicing social distancing, washing hands often and staying home when sick.
Aldermen heard more public comment on Tuesday, including many of the same speakers from the marathon meeting earlier in the month.
Bo Bandy, a local chiropractor, told the board that the human immune system is "an amazing piece of technology."
"You cannot run or hide from a virus," he said. "Our bodies are full of bacteria and viruses."
Yakov Smirnoff, a comedian whose face has been a fixture of Branson billboards and pamphlets for decades, came to City Hall on Tuesday to oppose the proposed mask ordinance.
Smirnoff's shtick has long focused on his experiences growing up under communism in the Soviet Union _ contrasting that to life in modern American culture with lines like "what a country."
He told aldermen that he recently visited Chicago and couldn't wait to get back to Branson because of a mask mandate in the Windy City.
"It becomes a police state," he said
He came to Branson early because of the pandemic: With no venues open in his home state of California, Smirnoff added extra shows on Branson's strip as the town reopened in May. And his show has a new name: "Laughter Rx FDA Approved."
"I'm hoping that you can make this an island of freedom and choice in the sea of hatred and fear," he said. "People come to this town and they say, 'Oh, this is the way America used to be. I think this is the way America ought to be.'"
Though he acknowledged the ordinance had carved out more exceptions since it was originally presented, Milton, the alderman who opposed the measure, said he was fearful of news coverage that would lose such nuance.
"Probably one of my biggest concerns of this watered-down bill passing is the headlines. And I think the headline alone is going to have a negative economic impact on Branson."
He said phone calls and emails, along with public comments at the city's two meetings on the issue, had been overwhelmingly against a mask ordinance.
"I am voting for the will of the people," he said.
The public had the opportunity to speak again once an amendment passed. One of those who went to the podium was Patrick Kansoer Sr., a resident of Hollister with a business connection in Branson.
Mayor Edd Akers reminded him that only Branson residents or those who pay property taxes there could offer input.
"Are you going to muzzle me, your honor?" Kansoer asked. "If you are, I will leave the podium."
Though the mayor told him again about the guidelines and that he wouldn't be able to speak, Kansoer kept going.
"If you pass this thing," Kansoer said. "You are saying to over 8 million people who come here that Branson is a pest hole of a virus and don't come. If that's what you want to be known for, if you want to preside over the death of a beautiful place, vote yes. Otherwise, vote no."
Country musician Clay Cooper also asked the board to reject the mask mandate. He said his crowds are down 50% to 60% at his theater on the strip, which he said carries a monthly mortgage payment of $23,000.
And he said those that do come just don't want to wear masks. With crowds of 200 to 250 people per show, he said only about eight to 12 people are wearing masks.
"If we do mandate this, I believe we won't have to worry about the virus," he said, "because there won't be any damn people left to spread the virus."
