North Dakota House Bill 1323 should not pass.
9:01 am, Apr. 11, 2021
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By Karen Ehrens | Bismarck, N.D.
HB 1323 is a bill that should not pass. If passed, this legislation would limit state, county, local and other government subdivisions, including schools, from directing the wearing of facial coverings. The bill passed the House and was amended and passed the Senate as a compromise so that only state officials would be prohibited from requiring mask-wearing to prevent the spread of diseases during a public health emergency.
It is well demonstrated that covering the nose and mouth to stop the COVID-19 virus spread by respiratory droplets is effective. A patchwork of differing guidance when the entire state and nation are under threat from a virus is not effective. We can use Bismarck as an example. After taking no action the first time a request was made for masks due to an increase in positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths, the Bismarck City Commission narrowly passed a mask "strategy" after a 6-hour meeting four weeks after a first request was brought for action. With the “strategy” in place, Bismarck saw only approximately 50-60% of people in the community wearing masks. When the governor mandated mask wearing statewide two weeks later, 90-95% of Bismarck community members were using masks in public.