Mercyone North Iowa asking businesses to require masks

A local hospital is making an appeal to local business owners in an effort to slow the spread of Covid-19.

Is coming up./// a local hospital is making an appeal to local business owners.

In an effort to slow the spread of covid?

"*19, mercy one north iowa is asking businesses to require employees and customers to wear masks.

Kimt news 3's nick kruszalnicki is live in mason city with more.

Nick?

George and katie ?

"* as we kno, there is no statewide mask mandate here in iowa ?

"* except for some large gatherings.

Now the call has gone out for every business to make masks mandatory.

"a lot of businesses aren't making this a requirement and we think that puts our population at risk."

Mercy one north iowa c?

"*e?

"* o rod sch putting the call out to local businesses to help fight covid?

"*19 by requiring masks.

He says community?

"* wide spred of the virus is putting a serious dent in the hospital's workforce and filling up hospital beds.

"back in march, we were in the 20 employee range, 25 and now we're more like in the 60 to 75 employees being out sick.

So, yeah, that's something we have to manage around every day."

One local business is heeding the call ?

"* art on the plaza is requiring masks and has done so since reopening earlier this year.

"i think we all have to do our part.

If we all wore masks for a certain amount of time, this would be over."

It's a rule that is non?

"* negotiable for them.

"w have escorted some non?

"*wearers, gently, with kid words out the door."

These ladies are not concerned about losing business over the requirement.

In fact, they feel they'll be attracting more customers by givingmind.

"s a safe feeling, that's with so many workers out sick ?

"* mercy one north iowa has hd to bring in contract workers to fill the gaps.

Schlader tells me there's so much demand for contract workers across the country, it is getting very expensive for the hospital to bring them on.

Live in mason city, nick kruszalnicki, kimt news 3.

Thanks, nick.

Right now, mercy one north iowa has 55 patients who are ill with covid?

"*19.

Te hospital stopped doing elective surgeries in order to free up more space