***SIC, a city in Oklahoma, not Oklahoma City
10:25 a.m.
"Oklahoma City repeals mask requirement after customers threaten store employees
Officials in Stillwater, Okla., on Friday walked back a requirement that people wear face masks inside reopened stores and restaurants, citing threats of violence and physical abuse directed at employees.
Mayor Will Joyce, an independent, amended his emergency declaration on the same day it took effect “in response to concerns voiced by business proprietors and citizens,” according to a news release. The anger directed toward store employees started in the first three hours businesses were open and included a threat of gun violence.
State and local governments have included a requirement that people wear masks in at least some circumstances as part of their reopening plans.
In Stillwater, many people objecting to the mask requirement cited their belief that the rule is unconstitutional, City Manager Norman McNickle said in the news release and first reported by the Stillwater News Press. McNickle noted that a federal court in Oklahoma City dismissed a lawsuit challenging the city of Guthrie’s mask requirement. The judge ruled the plaintiffs lacked standing to sue but did not rule on the constitutionality of the mask requirement, court records show.
McNickle said wearing a mask is a minor inconvenience that protects the person wearing it and anyone they encounter. “The City of Stillwater has attempted to keep people safe by the simple requirement to wear a face covering to protect others,” McNickle wrote. “It is unfortunate and distressing that those who refuse and threaten violence are so self-absorbed as to not follow what is a simple show of respect and kindness to others.”
McNickle said officials could not, in good conscience, put store and restaurant employees in danger. Stillwater’s stores are asked to at least encourage customers to wear masks, and specific businesses can choose to have more restrictive requirements" "
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2020/05/02/coronavirus-latest-news/#link-E43XPKTOHZAYTMLJDW4CUIYVJE
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