Concerns and confusion over what a reewed mask mandate would mean for Hillsborough County resulted in a protest and strong words Wednesday for county commissioners. 

“You can say that we’re trying to impose a mask mandate and hold up signs and scream and yell, but we’re not. We’re not doing that,” Hillsborough County Commissioner Harry Cohen said.

Earlier in the morning, people gathered outside the meeting to protest. 

“We want to stop the mandatory masks because, first of all, this is America. We believe in freedom and personal liberty. There’s no science to support it. There’s no randomized control studies after all this time,” resident Jason Kimball said.

“You told us to get vaccinated. People got vaccinated. This body is going backwards,” resident Jason Williams said.

“Public parks shouldn’t be on the list at this point,” Chuck Harrison said.

Public parks aren’t on the list of potential places for mandatory masks, but the confusion comes after the county recently began requiring masks again at all county-owned buildings.

“We do not have a mask mandate in Hillsborough County. This board is not considering implementing a mask mandate in Hillsborough County. Even if we wanted to, we know we are constrained under the law and unable to do that,” Cohen said.

However, what commissioners can do is listen to concerns and the experts giving an update on COVID-19 cases in Hillsborough.

“We’ve had a seven-fold increase in the number of cases in the past four weeks. Pinellas and Pasco County have had more than a ten-fold increase in the number of cases,” epidemiologist Dr. Jason Salemi said.

“COVID is surging again in our community, and our hospitals are facing a devastating bed crunch — worse than they were last year,” said BayCare’s Vice President and Chief Medical Officer Dr. Nishant Anand.

Doctors say four weeks ago, statewide, there were 2,300 hundred adults in the hospital with COVID-19, and now there are more than 12,000.

The jump is echoed among children as well.

“Four weeks ago, we had 29 patients who are in the pediatric population currently hospitalized with COVID-19, and now that number is 135 as of yesterday,” Dr. Salemi said.

“We’re doing everything we can to give people the tools to make the right decisions. We need people to take personal responsibility,” Cohen said.

You can read the entire report presented to county commissioners here: