Law enforcement and state legislators are bringing back to life long-dormant rules that make mask wearing illegal.
Republican lawmakers in North Carolina plan to override Governor Roy Cooper’s recent rejection of a bill that would have made mask use illegal.
Meanwhile, in response to an incident in which masked demonstrators harassed commuters with anti-Zionist slurs, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has expressed support for a ban on masks on public transportation.
Students protesting the Israeli war against Palestinian terrorists have also received threats of arrest for hiding their faces in Ohio, Texas, and Florida.
Mask-reintroduction proponents argue that the law does not target people who are medically susceptible or who want to avoid respiratory illnesses.
Opponents counter that these steps are unworkable and would worsen the stigma and harassment faced by mask wearers.
Mask bans have long been condemned by civil libertarians and Americans with weakened immune systems as instruments used against demonstrators for a range of social issues. They contend that the downgrade of COVID-19 from a public health emergency and the resuscitation of these laws occur at the same time.
Rising coronavirus levels in wastewater across the Sun Belt, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, may indicate an approaching summer wave.
