Sapulpa's city councilors are set to vote on Monday on a proposal for a city-wide mask mandate following a failed attempt in July. Sand Springs is also scheduled to discuss its COVID-19 emergency plans on Monday. 

Infectious disease experts said wearing a mask is a small way to make a big impact. Cities across the state continue implementing mask mandates, but some are still on the fence.

Epidemiologist Rachel Clinton told News On 6 that many people see wearing masks as a political issue. 

"Masks have been widely recommended and used in the medical profession to prevent infectious diseases for over 100 years," Clinton said. 

Clinton said we still don't know if you can contract COVID-19 more than once. Some people believe you only need to wear a mask if you show symptoms of the virus.

“You're able to spread it two to three days before you ever start having symptoms and then some people don't show any symptoms," Clinton said. 

Jenks joined Tulsa as the second city in the Tulsa metro on Tuesday to require public face coverings. Other cities in Green Country like Owasso, Bixby, Broken Arrow and Glenpool are letting the people decide.   

"Our experience has been that voluntary community actions are just as effective as any mandates without enforcement,” Bixby mayor Brian Guthrie said in a statement on Facebook.

Owasso’s city manager said in a meeting that there’s no hard evidence a mask mandate curves the spread.

Kris Wyatt is on Bristow’s city council. Wyatt said Bristow mayor Rick Pinson posted a Facebook statement Friday asking people to remain vigilant, keep their distance, wear a mask and wash their hands. 

"Our preference right now is to allow people to do on their own what is best, but there's just so much misinformation on what the spread looks like,” Wyatt said. “Can someone who's had it before be re-infected? Part of it is, we've just gotten this sort of COVID(-19) fatigue where we're tired of it and people are saying 'I'm done with it.’”

Muskogee City Council voted against a mask mandate proposal, but mayor Marlon Coleman plans to refine and reintroduce it on Monday. He said one of his main focuses is how businesses can help slow the spread by enforcing a mask mandate. 

"We're at a point in many of our cities in Oklahoma where doing nothing is no longer an option," Coleman said. 

Wyatt believes masks are important, but said she wonders how realistic it is to actually enforce a mask mandate. 

"The general feeling is, if the police are running around issuing citations as it were to everyone who's not wearing a mask, none of the police work would get done. And then adding to that the compounding issue of the McGirt ruling,” Wyatt said. “Would we have to call in tribal law if it was something that would involve someone who was Native American?” 

Wyatt questions how effective these mandates are when bordering cities aren't on the same page. Clinton said she's seen the data to back up mask effectiveness but believes every individual needs to jump on board. 

"There's more benefit,” Clinton said. “It's non-evasive. It's really easy.” 

Clinton and Wyatt said politics, mandates, and city lines aside, there is a need to slow the spread because the hospitalization rate for COVID-19 patients continues to grow. Clinton said this is problematic as Oklahoma enters flu season. 

"The proper wearing of a mask can do something to protect someone from something that we don't see, […] and I think it's up to each of us to do the very best we can to protect ourselves from the unknown,” Wyatt said. “While we're doing that, we're protecting each other, as well.”