RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — Republican lawmakers in North Carolina are pushing forward with their plan to repeal a pandemic-era law that allowed the wearing of masks in public for health reasons, a move spurred in part by demonstrations against the war in Gaza that have included masked protesters camped out on college campuses. The legislation cleared the Senate on Wednesday in a 30-15 vote along party lines despite several attempts by state Senate Democrats to change the bill. The bill, which would raise penalties for someone who wears a mask while committing a crime, including arrested protesters, could still be altered as it heads back to the House. Opponents of the bill say it risks the health of those masking for safety reasons. But those backing the legislation say it is a needed response to the demonstrations, including those at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill that escalated to police clashes and arrests. The bill also further criminalizes the blockage of roads or emergency vehicles for a protest, which has occurred during pro-Palestinian demonstrations in Raleigh and Durham. This North Carolina Bill Could Ban People From Wearing Of Masks In Public
I'm sure this bill is in response to the college protests, however it makes no sense to removing for health reasons makes no sense.
No reason to wear masks for health reasons. People on chemotherapy are ‘immunocompromised’ due to their chemo and not vulnerable to mythical rogue nanoparticles.
1. It was the law for decades before CoVid. Covid has been on the decline for years and masking is no longer needed. 2. We were told ad naseum during CoVid that masking does NOT protect the masked but is in fact used to protect others. So being immunocompromised - masking wouldn’t help anyways.
This seems dumb. If some idiots want to walk around in a mask in public then who cares. Anyone dumb enough to wear a mask in public and think it helps them is beyond help anyways.
There are people with other medical conditions that need to wear masks such as having weak immune systems. There is nothing that autocratic right wingers love more than a punching down one-rule-fits-all law.
I’d be okay living in a society that had about five laws, three of them undercutting the germ hypothesis.
NC is saying you can't wear one. I could care less if some random person in Target is wearing a mask. Why does that bother you?
Interesting libertarian podcast early in pan-panic. One of the participants put forth the exceedingly (I thought) modest suggestion that masking should be entirely voluntary, that anyone wearing a mask is signaling, “I’m afraid of you, please don’t come near me.” In other words, it would distinguish the fearful from the non-fearful.
The “arrest cancer patients” law should go over well. I saw some commentary questioning NC GOP, having them explain how this law could possibly be enforced. The answer was they trusted cops to use their discretion, so basically “selective enforcement”. Yep, that’s definitely a good basis for any law.
But if the mask doesn’t protect you from them but instead protects them from you… what difference does it make for cancer patients? Immunocompromised? The law was initially put into place due to KKK and people wearing masks to commit crimes. It is being put back into place because of people committing crimes with their face covered.
What about Halloween? Lost of kids about to go to jail. It will be vetoed by the sane governor then likely overturned by the three fifths of the legislature that is the worst gerrymandered one in the country. State is nearly a 50/50 split.
(1) People should be able to wear masks if there is a health reason, real or perceived. (2) People should not be able to avoid criminal prosecution because they wore masks to conceal identity. I think most people can accept/understand those distinct, noncontroversial goals. Now, go write a law that accomplishes both. Good luck - the nut jobs will say you are either against freedom, want to kill people, want a Nazi police state, etc. If you find yourself getting your panties into a wad either way, maybe take a moment to relax and appreciate that laws can simply be difficult to form and/or apply despite them being absolutely reasonable and non-toxic purposes for them.