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Bethel City Council To Consider Facemask Policy And Limiting Curbside Alcohol Sales

Council member Mark Springer said said that Bethel City Council and its Public Safety Commission actually don’t have much purview over the Bethel Police Department, but he urged City Manager Pete Williams to look into alleged problems with rape kits.
Dean Swope
/
KYUK

Bethel City Council is considering new rules to prevent the COVID-19 pandemic from spreading in the city. In its July 28 regular meeting, city council will look at a resolution urging people to wear face masks in public spaces, and another resolution to limit alcohol sales. 

Public spaces would include all indoor common areas, which would be at work if you interact with the public, inside health care facilities, or while riding taxis. The policy says that people should also wear masks outdoors when they cannot maintain a 6-foot distance from others. There would be exceptions for those with medical conditions or jobs which prevent them from wearing a mask.

Bethel is a second class city without health powers or the means to enforce a mask mandate. City Attorney Elizabeth "Libby" Bakalar says that the resolution would be a “strong recommendation” to the public. However, the city does have the authority to mandate mask wearing on city-owned property.

In the same meeting, the council will consider clamping down on Fili’s Pizza’s alcohol sales. Since April, the restaurant has been able to sell alcohol via home delivery and curbside pickup. There are currently no limits on how much alcohol can be purchased curbside. Now, there is a proposal to request the state's Alcohol and Marijuana Control Office to limit curbside and delivery sales by requiring the customer purchase a meal with their alcohol. A meal would be defined as a food purchase or purchases totalling at least 50% of the price of the alcohol in the order.

 

Greg Kim was a news reporter for KYUK from 2019-2022.