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groundloop

(11,620 posts)
Wed May 15, 2024, 10:57 PM May 15

North Carolina lawmakers push bill to ban most public mask wearing, citing crime

Source: ABC News

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.

“It's about time that the craziness is put, at least slowed down, if not put to a stop,” Wilson County Republican Sen. Buck Newton, who presented the bill, said on the Senate floor Wednesday.

Read more: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/north-carolina-lawmakers-push-bill-ban-public-mask-110282184

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Ferrets are Cool

(21,150 posts)
2. Any "lawmaker" will take my mask from my cold dying face....
Wed May 15, 2024, 11:19 PM
May 15

Wifey is recovering from leukemia. I do NOT go outside without a mask and NO ONE will change that. Oh, and FUCK THEM!!

IronLionZion

(45,891 posts)
7. For respiratory virus masks: "Newton's bill would delete that language"
Thu May 16, 2024, 08:20 AM
May 16
It has been a crime since the 1950s to wear a mask in public in North Carolina. But the state has also created a list of various exceptions to that law, which was expanded during the Covid-19 pandemic to include “any person wearing a mask for the purpose of ensuring the physical health or safety of the wearer or others.” Newton’s bill would delete that language.


mwooldri

(10,323 posts)
8. So we need to get a load of sick people...
Thu May 16, 2024, 09:27 AM
May 16

... Who have respiratory illnesses to show up in person and invite the GOP to have them removed their masks.

Will they take the risk?

KPN

(15,727 posts)
9. "It's about time that the craziness is put, at least slowed down, if not put to a stop,"?! If that
Thu May 16, 2024, 12:18 PM
May 16

isn't the pinnacle of Republican projection. These people lack any conscience whatsoever. They like to say "fuck your feelings". Well I say, Fuck Them!

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