The Gainesville City Commission abandoned a new bar and restaurant mask mandate. The motion failed at the Thursday meeting. Lee Feldman said a mask mandate without requirements in Alachua County would send mixed signals and be hard to enforce.
With City Commission s help, UF student marketing campaign promotes mask-wearing in bars
As of Feb. 8, the city commission-funded program distributed 150 posters, 190 masks and about 80 floor decals to Rowdy Reptile, Fat Daddy s, JJ s Tavern, Downtown Fats and other businesses [Courtesy of The Agency]
Packed bars and clubs at Midtown are now covered with colorful posters and stickers reminding students to keep their masks on while being social.
Students at The Agency, UF’s student-led marketing firm, paired up with the city to launch a marketing campaign aimed to encourage students to wear masks in public inside bars.
The Healthy Gainesville Initiative was presented to and approved by the City Commission Jan. 21 and cost the city $87,500. The funds paid for research and development of marketing materials such as posters, masks and floor stickers to encourage students to mask up because of concerns from city officials about masses of unmasked stude
Gainesville City Commission moves forward on emergency order on bar and restaurant restrictions
The order will mirror a recent Tampa Bay mask mandate
Denise Garcia and Jeffery Davis wear face masks in downtown Gainesville. Photo by Hannah Phillips | The Independent Florida Alligator
Gainesville city commissioners voted to draft an emergency order Thursday evening to tighten mask requirements in bars and clubs.
The order, which passed 4-3, comes after a monthlong debate about a possible shutdown in the city and county commissions as students returned to UF campus. While the emergency order passed, the policy itself is still under development.
There were 105 new COVID-19 cases in Alachua County Friday, according to the Florida Department of Health. As of Sunday night