I am dismayed by news of local and state political bodies seeking to dismantle rules, orders, and laws mandating the use of face masks in public settings.
It is a scientific fact that wearing a face mask limits exposure to airborne pathogens. In this era of COVID, wearing a mask in public is a matter of public health and welfare, not a political issue.
An order or law mandating face masks is not unconstitutional. In fact, there are similar ordinances and laws that have been in place for years. For example, it is almost universal that customers are required to wear shoes and shirts when entering stores and restaurants.
It is clearly constitutional to place limits on the speed a person can drive on any given public roadway. No rational person would argue that it’s unconstitutional to preclude persons from driving on public roadways under the influence because we all know that when people drive under the influence they have a significantly greater likelihood of causing harm to themselves and others.
Similarly, wearing face masks in public settings significantly limits the likelihood of disease transmission and causing harm to others.
All of these laws and ordinances are based upon the public health and welfare. Rules, orders and laws mandating wearing face masks in public settings are reasonable and constitutional. If kept in place, maybe someday soon we can all return to some semblance of our pre-COVID lives.
JEFFREY A. RABINOWITZ
Franklin