KENNER, La. — Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn joined the chorus of voices urging people to mask-up.
“Just consider (a mask) as a piece of your clothing,” Zahn said. “When you’re grabbing your watch, your wallet, your cellphone in the morning, grab one of these things too. Keep it on you.”
Earlier this week Jefferson Parish President Cynthia Lee Sheng issued a similar order for the unincorporated areas of the parish.
According to the state health department, Jefferson Parish has reported more than 9,700 Coronavirus cases parish-wide.
That includes more than 1,700 cases in Metairie and more than 1,400 in Kenner.
Zahn said he was concerned because even though Metairie has double the population of Kenner, the city has just 200 fewer cases of COVID-19.
“If we don’t do something like this and get masks on people and make it mandatory, we could be even with them or ahead of them,” Zahn said. “It’s everybody coming together to make sure that we fight this thing as much as we can.”
Kenner Emergency Management Director Doug Dodt said there are two main coronavirus hotspots in the city.
“70062 (zip code), the southern end of our city, we’re certainly seeing some cases there,” Dodt said. “But the more activity is probably on the northern side of the city at this point.”
Mayor Zahn echoed Governor John Bel Edwards when he said wearing a mask was the neighborly thing to do. He also said Kenner’s mask mandate was not political or a threat to anyone’s personal freedom.
“We’re trying to avoid going back to another phase or getting into a worse situation where we’re back at home and we’re doing a lot worse,” Zahn said. “You don’t have the freedom not to wear a seatbelt. You don’t have the freedom to smoke indoors anymore. Nobody thought last year we would be in this situation.”
The State Fire Marshal’s Office and The Kenner Fire Department will be enforcing the city’s mask mandate.
There are a number of exceptions to the emergency order.
They include children under 2, people with certain medical conditions, the hearing impaired and anyone eating or drinking.
Gretna Mayor Belinda Constant told WWL-TV, her city isn’t ready to require masks just yet.
But she said she's urging people to wear one.
Constant also said the Gretna City Council will consider a mask mandate during next Wednesday’s council meeting.
Council members want to evaluate whether people do what they're supposed to do this weekend in terms of face coverings and social distancing before voting on the matter.
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