'Mask fascists'? Virginia's governor makes masks mandatory

FPI / May 28, 2020

Just days after he was seen strolling the beach without a mask, and not practicing social distancing by posing for close-up selfies, Virginia Democrat Gov. Ralph Northam made it mandatory for the state's residents to wear face masks nearly all the time for the forseeable future.

Northam said in a press conference that Virginians must wear masks “anywhere people can congregate” inside, including retail spaces, government facilities, and public transportation. Masks will also be required in restaurants, except while patrons are eating.

“I am taking this step because science increasingly shows us that the virus spreads less easily when everyone is wearing face coverings,” Northam said.

The new mask mandate will not be enforced by police, but by Virginia’s health department, the governor said. Exceptions apply to children under the age of 10 or people with health conditions.

While visiting Virginia Beach over the weekend, Northam was photographed without a mask. He also was seen taking selfies while violating the so-called 6-feet distancing rule. The governor claimed he forgot his mask in his vehicle.

State Republican leaders said in a statement: “During a period of unprecedented executive overreach, Governor Northam further burdened the lives of Virginians by mandating they wear masks when in public. While this governor behaving hypocritically is nothing new, this latest ‘do as I say not as I do’ edict takes his disingenuousness to an entirely new level.

“Requiring Virginia’s businesses to enforce this mandate under threat of action by the Department of Health only adds to the incredible and stifling burdens placed upon them by the Democrat majority and the Governor this year.”

Columnist: 'Era of the mask fascists has begun'

The Scarlet Letter of 2020 is "not wearing a mask," Breitbart columnist John Nolte noted on May 26.

"First off, if you’re wearing a mask, what the hell do you care if someone else is not? You’re protected. If you’re worried about your eyes, put on sunglasses. This is not difficult, y’all… Unless, of course, you’re a bossypants type who loves any excuse to tell others what to do.

"Secondly, we now know that if you are under 50 years of age, the coronavirus has a fatality rate of just 0.1 percent, or 1 in 1,000 — which is the exact same fatality rate as the everyday flu. So why are we stuffing people under the age of 50 into masks for no valid medical reason? It should be the elderly we train our protective focus on. Instead, we’re spreading our focus out among everyone, which was the mistake that led to completely unnecessary nursing home catastrophes in Democrat-run states like New York, New Jersey, and Michigan.

"But this is the world in which we now live — a world where science and facts no longer matter, where bad people are looking for any excuse to feel superior and to publicly lord their superiority over others, looking for any excuse to embrace the warmth of the fascist mob knowing social media and the corporate media will cheer them on as virtuous."

Columnist: 'Miserable' D.C. lockdown what Demorcats want for the entire country

Just two days before the nation's capital was set to enter the first stage of its reopening plan, city officials extended the coronavirus lockdown order which keeps restaurants, night clubs, bars, and recreational venues shuttered.

"The reopening plan, just like almost every other government action taken in this pandemic, is a joke," columnist Eddie Scarry wrote for the Washington Examiner on May 26.

That reopening plan also happens to have been put together "under the trusty oversight of former Obama administration official Susan Rice," Scarry noted.

At stage one, "we’re allowed to gather in groups of no larger than 10, restaurants can have outdoor seating only (which is extremely limited in the district), and most outdoor recreational areas such as golf courses can reopen “with safeguards.” Bars and schools, however, are to remain shuttered, retail outlets can only offer curbside sales — have fun trying on that dress from Nordstrom Rack while standing on the sidewalk! — and hair salons can only service five people for every 1,000 square feet," Scarry wrote.

"The place I used to go for a haircut might be 1,000 square feet, meaning that, at one time, they could provide service only for two full-sized customers, plus Michael Bloomberg, after you account for two hairstylists. Typically, that place has at least five stylists working. On weekends, it’s more like 10.

"How could that establishment, and the countless others like it, possibly make a profit under the stage one criteria? How could it afford rent, insurance, and other bills, let alone payroll?

"One of the local bartenders here posted a Facebook note on Saturday explaining what would happen to his business, which doubles as a restaurant, should he open under stage one. He said that at 10,000 square feet and with the maximum number of people allowed in under the order, he would still lose money. “I could stay open all month with this current plan and not even be able to pay all of my insurance payments,” he wrote. “Forget about payroll, rent, electricity, cable, gas and buying product.”

"Stage one, by the way, is only achievable, according to Susan Rice’s plan, after Washington, D.C., has had 14 continuous days of declining infection rates. We got to day 12, which was Sunday, and apparently saw a “spike” in confirmed coronavirus infections, according to the city, resulting in the rollback.

"Stage four? We don’t get there until there is “an effective vaccine or cure.” At that point, we see a “new normal” for the city, “with all activities as close to normal as possible.”

Scarry concluded: "Why, children, don’t you want to wear a mask for the rest of your lives?"

Whitmer claims protesters with 'automatic rifles' were at her house

Michigan Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Tuesday claimed, without evidence, that she had seen anti-lockdown protesters carrying “automatic rifles” outside her home.

Whitmer held a press conference to address allegations that her husband had asked for preferential treatment to get his boat in the water before the holiday weekend. She said he “joked” with the business, asking if his wife’s position could get this bumped up the line for service.

She said her husband regretted making the joke and she regrets that he made it, as well.

After addressing her husband’s statements, Whitmer said, “My family has had men with automatic rifles standing in view of our front window outside our home.”

Breitbart Second Amendment columnist AWR Hawkins noted that Whitmer "did not say how she ascertained that the guns were "automatic" or whether she was referring to them as such because other Democrats have used the words "automatic" and "semiautomatic" interchangeably. The distinction is not trivial; an automatic firearm, such as an M4, shoots multiple rounds with one pull of the trigger while a civilian firearm, such as an AR-15, shoots only one round per trigger pull."

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