Lincoln County, OR, mandated people wear face masks in public places where they might come in contact with someone not in their household.
Officials made an exception. People of color do not have to wear the mask “if they have ‘heightened concerns about racial profiling and harassment'”
From The New York Post:
“No person shall intimidate or harass people who do not comply,” health officials said.With mask requirements becoming more common, activists have raised concerns that the directives could put non-white people in danger.“For many black people, deciding whether or not to wear a bandanna in public to protect themselves and others from contracting coronavirus is a lose-lose situation that can result in life-threatening consequences either way,” ReNika Moore, director of the ACLU’s Racial Justice Program, told CNN.
Travis Logan, an economics professor at Ohio State University, claimed that forcing people of color like him to wear a mask is “basically telling people to look dangerous given racial stereotypes that are out there.”
I asked people to wear a mask to help protect people like me with suppressed immune systems. Even before the coronavirus, clinics had masks at the desk and asked people to wear one if they think they are sick or have symptoms of a cold or the flu.
Why? To protect others in the waiting room.
People told me that if I have a suppressed immune system I should just stay home because I totally have no life and staff to wait on me hand and foot.
Will people tell those of color in this county to do the same? Probably not.
I also remember the news saying the coronavirus has badly hit minority groups.
Plus it seems that people lately tested have no symptoms, which is also disturbing. So yeah you might not have symptoms, but you could still have the virus.
So what’s more important? What will Lincoln County do if they experience an outbreak? When will people realize that caving to feels and emotions is not the proper way to handle things or govern?
[Featured image via YouTube]
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