Joplin City Council to vote on mask ordinance during special meeting Thursday- will 4th time be the charm?

Will the fourth time be the charm for the Joplin City Council?

A face mask ordinance is back on the agenda for the council when it meets in a special session 6 p.m. Thursday at City Hall.

The meeting was called during a time when the city has recorded 18 deaths due to COVID-19 in the past two weeks and the city's hospitals have a record high 104 coronavirus patients.

If a vote is taken as expected, it will mark the fourth time the council has voted on the ordinance. Initially, it failed by a 5-4 margin, was passed 6-3 and most recently ended on a 5-4 vote.

According to the agenda, the ordinance would require people to wear face coverings that cover the nostrils and mouth to help restrict the spread of the COVID-19 virus, creating exemptions, establishing enforcement and containing an emergency clause."

The agenda also includes a discussion of the city's COVID-19 recovery plan.