In a stunning reversal of the tyranny of the COVID era, North Carolina’s Republican-controlled Senate has voted to ban face masks in public.
The proposal, which was voted on following an intense debate, was approved along party lines and will now head to the House for further scrutiny.
The Hill reports :
The North Carolina state Senate voted along party lines Wednesday to ban anyone from wearing masks in public, even for health reasons.
Republican supporters of the ban said it would help law enforcement crack down on protesters who wear masks. They say demonstrators are abusing COVID-19 pandemic-era practices to hide their identities following a wave of pro-Palestine protests nationwide and at North Carolina universities.
The bill goes even further and repeals an exception that’s been state law since the early stages of the pandemic that allows people to wear masks in public for health and safety reasons. Thirty senators voted in favor of House Bill 237 , while 15 opposed it and five were absent.
Democrats were predictably
triggered by the bill, arguing that masks are used to protect people’s health against respiratory viruses, despite no evidence they help whatsoever.
“Is it really that you find masked chemo patients that threatening? Something about them makes you really angry?” complained Democratic Sen. Natasha Marcus. “Or is this, more likely, a desire to score some political points with the anti-mask crowd during an election year, at the expense of vulnerable people?”
“This bill criminalizes their behavior, and mine,” added Democratic Sen. Sydney Batch. “We talk a lot about freedoms in this chamber. I hear it all the time. I should have the freedom — my children and my husband should have the freedom — to wear masks in order to protect and save my life, without fear of being arrested and charged.”
The issue of mask wearing became a major political issue during the COVID pandemic, with left-wing politicians all over the world attempting to legally compel people to wear them without any evidence as to their efficacy. In fact, some scientific studies have found that mask wearing may actually increase risk of illness due to the build up of bacteria.
The bill is likely to be vetoed by the states Democratic Governor Roy Cooper. However, Republicans hold supermajorities in both chambers and could override that veto if they meet the required threshold.
