After their final official meeting, members of the COVID-19 Task Force urged Hamilton County residents to get vaccinated and to continue following mitigation measures to stop the spread of the virus, as the countywide mask mandate is scheduled to expire in four weeks.
Rae Bond, chair of the task force, said the group was supportive of the mandate and encouraged county Mayor Jim Coppinger to continue it, but did not have any specific conversations about the duration. For the past year, the task force advised local leaders but did have the power to make policy.
As a private citizen, Bond said she will continue to wear a mask and go to businesses that require them.
“I think that’s the safest course forward,” Bond said. “The community response to the pandemic has really been a whole series of individual decisions that we have to make – are we going to keep our distance, are we going to wear masks, are we going to wash our hands? I think that’s something that every individual location is going to need to decide for themselves. But, personally, I think it’s a good idea for people to continue to be as prudent as possible.”
Tuesday was the final meeting for the task force. The group announced last week it would end its official work to provide an opening for the new Chattanooga city mayor to set the direction for pandemic response.