MEMPHIS, Tenn. — People could soon be required to wear a mask or face covering while out in the city of Memphis.

City council approved the first reading of the ordinance late Tuesday afternoon, and some members say now is the time to make this move.

Dr. Jeff Warren, a Memphis City Council member on the COVID-19 task force, said as we begin this process of reopening, it’s important that people wear some sort of mask or face covering in public so the COVID-19 numbers stay down.

“We don’t want to try to come down middle of June with a choice of either shutting the economy down or doing something else that may slow this virus down, so that’s where I think we need to move on this,” Dr. Warren said.

That’s why Dr. Warren presented the ordinance that would require people to wear a facial covering or mask during the coronavirus pandemic.

Other Memphis City Council members agreed this is a good step to protect the public, but they had some concerns about access.

“We should be looking to make sure everyone has an opportunity to have mask, in addition to making sure everyone wears a mask,” council member Rhonda Logan said.

Mayor Jim Strickland said council has an option to purchase masks using money from the federal CARES Act.

Councilman Worth Morgan was one of two members to abstain from voting Tuesday. He said he wants to gauge the pulse of the community before making a decision.

“If we have more pushback than buy-in, I think that’s going to be a problem, and the enforcement mechanism is another issue,” Morgan said.

The council has the option to amend the ordinance before a final vote happens. The second reading of the ordinance will happen at the next city council meeting.