A question for anti-mask Americans

Would you wear a mask in Hong Kong?

A mask.
(Image credit: Illustrated | iStock)

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) on Wednesday issued an executive order guiding the next phase of his state's response to COVID-19. Though more lenient than some approaches, an uncompromising strike for anarchy it is not. Large gatherings remain banned. Shelter-in-place is ordered for those who meet certain "criteria for higher risk of severe illness," which by my rough estimate includes at least one in four Georgians. Workplaces are urged to ban handshakes. Mask use is required for workers in public roles like food service.

But there's one restriction Kemp says is a "bridge too far": mandatory mask use in indoor, public places where social distance can't be maintained. The order bans mask requirements by local governments.

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Bonnie Kristian

Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.