Chamber Of Commerce Asks For Tweak in Mask Mandate

With the backing of several local businesses, the Dubuque Area Chamber of Commerce is asking the city to remove a portion of its mask mandate. Molly Grover, president of the chamber, requested in a letter to the city the removal of a provision in the mask mandate that states local businesses should withhold service to customers not wearing face masks. Grover said she has received numerous phone calls and emails from business owners concerned that they are being asked to enforce a mandate that could harm their relationship with customers. Since the mandate’s implementation, Dubuque police have fielded a total of 12 complaints of the mandate not being followed. None of those resulted in citations. Mayor Roy Buol said the city doesn’t want to encourage businesses to be confrontational with customers in trying to comply with the mandate.