“People of Color” Exempted from Mandatory Face Mask Order in Oregon County

• A new mandatory face mask order has been issued in Lincoln County, Oregon, but it exempts non-white residents.
• The county officials explained that the exemption is meant for “people of color who have heightened concerns about racial profiling and harassment due to wearing face coverings in public.”
• Mandatory face mask orders has prompted activists to point out that face coverings increase the risk of non-white people being racially profiled as dangerous.

Non-white residents of Lincoln County, Oregon have been exempted from a new mandatory face mask order in an attempt to combat racial profiling.

Face coverings were declared to be mandatory in public settings where individuals may come within six feet of someone outside their household. The order came last week after a spike in new cases.

“People of color who have heightened concerns about racial profiling and harassment due to wearing face coverings in public” will be exempt from the order, the county officials announced on Tuesday.

People who have been previously exempted from wearing a face mask in public include children under 12 years of age, people who have difficulty breathing with a mask on, and people with disabilities that prevent them from wearing a mask.

Officials added, “No person shall intimidate or harass people who do not comply. This Directive is intended to induce voluntary compliance and complement education and encouragement of use of face coverings to protect ourselves and our community.”

So far, there have been 7,201 confirmed cases of coronavirus in Oregon, 292 of which are in Lincoln County. Only one death has occurred in the county as of Tuesday.

Mandatory face mask orders has prompted activists to point out that face coverings increase the risk of non-white people being racially profiled.

ReNika Moore, Director of ACLU’s Racial Justice Program, explained to CNN in April: “For many Black people, deciding whether or not to wear a bandana in public to protect themselves and others from contracting coronavirus is a lose-lose situation that can result in life-threatening consequences either way.”

Wearing face coverings has been recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help contain the spread of the virus through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person talks, coughs, or sneezes.

Ohio State University economic professor Trevor Logan told CNN that while “this seems like a reasonable response,” the current society makes it seem like “you’re basically telling people to look dangerous given racial stereotypes that are out there.”

Source: Newsweek