As states, cities, and towns are slowly moving to reopen, many are issuing mandatory face mask orders requiring the public to wear a face mask when not in their homes or cars (or in an open air area). This, as you might expect, is not going over very well. At all.
In fact, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) acknowledged Sunday that he is reversing his order that all people in Ohio wear face masks while shopping because it “was just a bridge too far.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) said Sunday that a now-reversed mandate for everyone, including customers, to wear face masks at businesses during the coronavirus pandemic was “a bridge too far.”“It became very clear to me after we put out the order that everyone in retail who walked into a store as a customer would have to do that, it became clear to me that that was just a bridge too far,” he said on ABC’s “This Week.” “People were not going to accept the government telling them what to do.”“So my ability to communicate to the people of Ohio, frankly, I thought was going to be really impeded and we would get hung up on the mandatory masks for someone going in as a customer, and it just wasn’t going to work,” he added.DeWine says he still “highly” recommends that customers wear masks in businesses as a way to protect workers.
Watch the whole segment:
This type of face mask mandate also received so much pushback in one Oklahoma town that they, too, rescinded the order after it being in effect for only a few hours.
An Oklahoma city has lifted a coronavirus mask requirement following reports of physical confrontations — and a threat of violence involving a gun — at reopened stores and restaurants.
“In the short time beginning on May 1, 2020, that face coverings have been required for entry into stores/restaurants, store employees have been threatened with physical violence and showered with verbal abuse,” City Manager Norman McNickle said. “In addition, there has been one threat of violence using a firearm.”Now Stillwater said the mask requirement applies only to the employees of those establishments. A business owner can ask his or her customers to wear a mask. The original order was in effect only a few hours.It happened Friday in Stillwater following the reopening of certain businesses forced to close to contain the spread of the virus.
When the Democrat mayor of Tampa, Florida proposed such an order, the city council declined to even vote on it.
Later, the group declined to vote on [Tampa mayor Jane] Castor’s motion to issue an order requiring masks. Castor wanted a roll call vote from the group’s eight members, but Commissioner Kimberly Overman withdrew her support so Castor’s motion died.
During the discussion, at least five members opposed a mask or face covering order citing a burden on businesses and residents.
“I think to mandate it will just come across to people in the wrong way,” said Commissioner Sandy Murman, who said masks should remain recommended, not required.
In Texas, Republican Governor Greg Abbott superseded all local orders for mandatory face masks in one fell swoop.
Gov. Greg Abbott announced a plan to reopen Texas beginning this Friday, May 1, after his “stay home” order expires.While Abbott strongly encouraged Texans to wear face masks, he said there was not to be any mandate. His order supersedes all local orders, basically nullifying Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo’s order, which was put in place this morning, on May 1.Earlier today, Hidalgo had said she made the order enforceable, like seatbelt laws and laws regarding handicap parking, to emphasize the importance of the order and to signal that it must be followed. Violating the order would be punishable by up to $1,000. However, Hidalgo said that she did not expect to hear about citations being issued. Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, Houston Police Chief Art Acevedo, and Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner had all said that the order would not be enforced.Now, according to the governor, the order basically cannot even exist.In response to the order, Mayor Turner tearfully cautioned Houstonians to continue to wear face coverings, practice good hygiene, and social distance.
It doesn’t help that even medical experts can’t agree on whether or not they are even effective in preventing the spread of Wuhan coronavirus or who should be wearing them.
The left, of course, is outraged, but when are they not? They are so invested in central control that it doesn’t seem to occur to them that the lifting of these mandatory face mask orders doesn’t mean the masks are banned or that they will be barred from wearing them.
Governor DeWine has it right in saying that “People were not going to accept the government telling them what to do.” The pushback on government face mask mandates is just one example of this fact, and interestingly, was the bridge too far during the Spanish flu pandemic, as well.
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