The number of available ICU beds in Montgomery County continues to shrink amid the coronavirus pandemic, but according to Chief Medical Officer Dr. Shravan Gangula, having a countywide mask mandate would help.

During the weekly Montgomery County commission meeting Monday morning, Dr. Gangula spoke in favor of enforcing a countywide mask mandate. He is also a doctor at Coffeyville Regional Medical Center and he said that the situation with available ICU beds is so dire, they have had to turn away patients.

Commissioner Robert Bever stated that a mandate would be difficult to enforce. He said that there will people that won't wear them and that's their choice. Bever, along with Commissioner Larry McManus and Commissioner Fred Brown, voted against enforcing Kansas Governor Laura Kelly's new mask mandate in late November. There is a mask ordinance in place in Montgomery County, but the ordinance is a suggestion and is not being enforced by law enforcement.