Lafayette Mayor President Josh Guillory said he feels there are "a lot" of differences between the mask mandate he is resisting and his stay-at-home order issued yesterday.
That order says that people in Lafayette can't even walk outside unless they're first responders or other essential personnel, but Guillory says the mask mandate isn't the same thing.
"There's a lot of difference, and our people are smart enough to know the difference, and our city council was, too," Guillory said.
Lafayette was the focus of a national news piece this morning, with reporting about how politics have affected the city's response to COVID. Today, Guillory's order has generated a lot of comments from residents who don't see the difference. But in an interview with KATC's Jim Hummel, he would not respond to questions asking what those differences he referenced are.
"I'm focusing on the storm right now, we can debate the mask mandate when this is over," he said.
Guillory does say that he feels that, if government must issue orders, it must do so in the least restrictive way possible.
On the storm, he urged citizens to stay home because what looks safe may not be.
"It just goes to show you, you can't be complacent. I know the sun is out, the ice is melting, but don't take it for granted. What may look safe may not be," he said. "What I'm asking everybody to do, if you have to get out, drive with common sense. It looks safe, but road conditions are very serious."
