New York Authorizing Businesses To Deny Patrons With No Mask

Governor Cuomo announced today he is signing an executive order that would allow businesses to deny patrons who are not wearing a mask.

According to a Channel 13 report, Governor Cuomo announced today he will be signing an order giving businesses the right to turn away patrons not wearing masks. Cuomo cited the effectiveness of masks in helping to curb the spread of the diseases, so one would assume this is to allow business to enforce the mask rule to help their customers feel safe.

There has certainly been a lot of passionate discussion about wearing masks. Some think it is overreach by the government and just stirring up fear, then there are others who think it is not a big deal and a small measure we can take to do our part to keep flattening the curve.

I am a big believer in personal freedoms and hate more laws telling me what to do. And ultimately in this case, it is up to businesses to follow through with this one. But in the grand scheme of things wearing a mask (if you are physically able) is a small sacrifice to make and while wearing one is inconvenient, it's not keeping me from going out and doing the things I want to do. And I think in the long run, it reduces fear. I know I am much more comfortable in public when someone coughs or sneezes into mask versus the alternative!

For those who think being forced to wear a mask infringes on freedom of choice and is a sacrifice we should not have to make, I understand and appreciate the argument. But  a post I saw earlier this week on Facebook I think gives some great perspective on this. Looking back at some of the larger conflicts of American history, so many of our soldiers were drafted. They did not necessarily choose to go to battle, but they did at the direction of our government and fought valiantly for our common good and to protect the freedoms we enjoy today. If they can make that sacrifice under much more daunting circumstances, we can certainly make the much smaller sacrifice of wearing masks to hopefully help curb this pandemic.