NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) – Metro Public Board of Health has moved to enforce a new mandatory mask order to the city of Nashville and Davidson County in the next 48 hours.

“This is not a political message,” said Dr. Alex Jahangir of the Metro Board of Health. “This is safety.”

The board decided in a live special session on Friday afternoon that there should be an order drafted up by 5 p.m. Sunday that will mandate face coverings or masks in public, both indoors and outdoors if social distancing is not in place.

The board also suggested that the mandate should move forward with a goal to continue protecting the public by embracing social distancing and the changing of behaviors. Board members agreed they did not want the mandate to be punitive.

“The goal is to change behavior not create citations to punish people financially. That’s what I am in favor of,” said Tené Hamilton Franklin, vice-chair of the board.

The vote for the motion passed unanimously across the board. The Department of Health now must write up the mandate, including how it will be enforced within the next 48 hours.