UPDATE: Here's the language of the proposed mask ban bill in Nassau County, NY. It's bad!
While health is mentioned, the ban would apply to public places and some private properties, and gives police power to ask anyone to remove their mask.
The Nassau County mask ban bill (with some exceptions) prohibits a mask wearer to "enter, or appear upon or within any sidewalk, walkway, alley, street, road, highway or other public right-of-way or public property or private property without the consent of the owner or tenant."
Nassau County mask ban bill says for each exception (eg health) "a law enforcement officer may require a person or persons to remove the mask during traffic stops or when the officer has reasonable suspicion of criminal activity and/or intention to partake in criminal activity."
There are no details in the Nassau County mask ban bill on how police would decide who is "legitimately" wearing a mask for health reasons. This bill will likely increase profiling of marginalized communities.
As previously reported, if the Nassau County police decide you are not wearing a mask "legally", then the punishment could be a $1,000 fine and jail time. nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/…
Here's how you can take action to stop the Nassau County mask ban.
There's a meeting this Monday where you can testify, and you can send public comments by email before then.
Violet Affleck: "To confront the Long COVID crisis I demand mask availability, air filtration and far-UVC light in government facilities, including jails and detention centers and mask mandates in county medical facilities. We must expand availability of tests and treatment.
And most importantly, the county must oppose mask bans for any reason. They do not keep us safer. They make them vulnerable members of our community less safe and make everyone less able to participate in Los Angeles together. Thank you." 🔥🔥🔥
Here's the full transcript of Violet Affleck's public comment objecting to the mask ban in Los Angeles.
Thanks to @joaquinlife for sharing, and all his advocacy work!
In an interview with @ChrisCuomo former White House COVID Response Coordinator Ashish Jha says that it's a fringe position to still be masking indoors.
This is misinformation and an example of prioritizing personal centrist politics above public health.
It is completely inappropriate for the Dean of a public health school to call an effective public health tool "fringe", especially in the midst of a COVID wave where public health departments are trying to encourage people to take precautions.
By calling masks "fringe" Jha is contributing to stigmatization of an effective public health tool so that he can punch left and right in order to further his personal centrist political views. It is completely wrong to put your own politics above public health like this.
Here’s a video I’ve been meaning to put together explaining how to use CO2 monitors to gauge COVID risk.
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The end of the public health emergency was not the end of COVID or the pandemic. And there are many other airborne viruses and health threats such as pollution and wildfire smoke where masks are needed regardless of emergency status. Banning masks outside the PHE is anti-science.
The NY Democrats bill would ban masks for all "assemblies", regardless of whether they are "lawful" or not, which in NY state means that it would be illegal to wear a mask in a group of 5+ people. That's ridiculous. nysenate.gov/legislation/la…
"In the short term, living in a state of peak denial helps us cope. In the long run, it will be our undoing."
"A common strategy to neutralize a social problem is to make knowing about it hard...
If the COVID situation is tracked and the public warned, things don’t feel normal. But if we don’t monitor or mention it, then things can feel “back to normal”—fine, even."
“Another tactic is minimization. How we describe and measure things shapes how we feel about them.
We think we no longer have a problem, when actually we’ve just changed the standard by which we deem something concerning.”
Summary of today's @GovKathyHochul press conference where she talked about NY mask ban:
- Initial focus is subway and those commiting crimes
- Acknowledges need for health, religious, festival exemptions
- Acknowledges surgical and N95 masks are different than ski masks
There was a question about masking at protests, and while @GovKathyHochul said protesting is not a crime, it's unclear if ban would include protests that do not have a permit.
@GovKathyHochul It's also important to say that even if exemptions are included, they may be willfully misinterpreted by the cops, resulting in wrongful arrests, targeting marginalized communities, and generally scaring people away from wearing masks.