Because they, and every municipality that's requiring mask wear, are going to be slapped with them--hard.
1. Masks do NOT work.
In fact, they make things WORSE. I've read studies (couple of weeks ago, now--can't find the links anymore) that suggest that people in places that require masks are having more, and worse, and weirder health issues cropping up related to wearing masks than what the masks are supposed to prevent. One thing I saw mentioned was that there are people showing up in emergency rooms with breathing problems caused by mask wear: fungal infections and bacterial infections of the upper AND lower respiratory tract. Translated into layman's terms, people are getting pneumonia from their face-panties. And on top of that, they're not blocking the spread of the novel cold going around.
2. A lot of people cannot wear masks.
Whether those reasons are psychological or physiological, there is a sizable minority that simply cannot wear masks. There are supposed to be work-arounds for the disabled, but that's often a shrug and a "don't care, you can't come in, we've got delivery, that's your accommodation, go away."
My sister has intense claustrophobia. As in: panic attacks to the point of passing out when her face is covered or breathing restricted. My mom has COPD, and has low blood oxygen saturation to start with. Neither can or should be forced to wear a mask.
I found out this week that I cannot wear a mask. I've been to various doctors' appointments three times since this "mask" idiocy started. All three times, I was asked to wear a mask...and did, since they were asking, and polite. All three times, it triggered a nasty ME/CFS attack. Monday's mask wear sent me to bed all day Tuesday. I'm better enough today that I can sit in my recliner, but not better enough to be able to do much more than that. One such reaction after mask wear might be happenstance, but three for three says I just...can't. Not won't, can't. I have too much other stuff to do to be able to go down for a couple of days because some fucking coward requires me to wear a face panty.
3. Reasonable Accommodations aren't.
In a lot of areas of the country, the only grocery store is a Walmart Supercenter...which will be requiring masks of the people who shop there as of 7/20. And, say, in my mom's hometown, there is no curbside pickup, no delivery. Nothing. No accommodation for people who can't wear masks, but they'll be turned away anyway, due to company policy.
Other areas have the curbside pickup...but I have only very rarely gotten everything I asked for. I've been told it was out of stock, but when I checked the website immediately after having gotten home, it wasn't. The shopper clearly either couldn't find the item, or just didn't bother. Since I don't permit substitutions (allergies--I know what does and does not have the ingredients that trigger our household's allergic reactions), I wasn't charged...but some of those things were either something we were looking forward to, or needed for the next week's meals.
Some places advertise delivery, but...it doesn't work any better with delivery, and frequently, doesn't work as well. And delivery slots are sometimes booked up weeks out, not days.
Along with all of those, the click-and-pull curbside delivery does not seem to include anything other than groceries and over-the-counter pharmaceuticals. Does not seem to include things like kids' summer clothes...which my family needs. (Yes, this means I'll have to go to Walmart with my kids in tow before Walmart's stupid edict goes into effect...but what am I supposed to do about school clothes?)
I can see how, in an area where the curbside and delivery actually works and works well, those features could be considered "reasonable accommodation." However, it would have to be expanded to all the items in the store, and would have to be absolutely equal to being able to walk in and do things for yourself...but it isn't.
In conclusion, given all of this (especially that first point--that masks don't work), I am eagerly awaiting the ADA lawsuits. This is going to be a glorious slap-down of the cry-bullies and control freak mask fetishists.
15 hours ago
Easiest solution is to follow their requirements while at the same time giving the powers-that-be a big #1 finger salute.
ReplyDeleteMake a mask, out of very thin, 1 layer cloth. Nowhere do the mask requirements state how exactly the mask is to be constructed.
And, yes, claiming ADA and HIPAA (you do not have to share, nor is it required to share, medical information with others) is a valid work-around also.
They're still turning people away at the stores around here for not wearing a mask. "Can't wear a mask? Can't shop for yourself." There are already lawsuits spooling up. I can't wait until everywhere's drowning in them.
DeleteYep, definitely going to be interesting... and time consuming... and expensive.
ReplyDeleteI sincerely hope so, for the idiots pulling this shit.
DeleteI sincerely hope you are correct, but I’ve watched Walmart get away with bloody murder for decades now simply because that can and are more than willing to spend as much as needed on attorneys in order to win and get their way.
ReplyDeleteI don't have much choice where I get groceries, so I've been getting the bare minimum from them through curbside pickup. I went to pick up groceries yesterday. I usually go as early as possible, and yesterday was a (very mild) exception, in that I went closer to 9:00 than 8:00. They had perhaps a quarter of the cars in the lot that they usually do on Friday at that time, and I was the only one picking up at that point (another one was leaving, and there was no one else).
DeleteThere may be a combination of lawsuits and lost profits from impulse shoppers pushing them to drop the stupid.