While California Issues New Mask Mandate, Colorado Says No More

Commentary My 89-year-old father, who lives in mandate-free Arizona, recently explained he chooses to wear a mask when he goes to the store, “not for others, for me.” His comment epitomizes two opposing government approaches to the lingering COVID-19 pandemic: require all to comply with mandates for the good of the collective or allow individuals to decide how to protect themselves. Two Democrat-run states have recently gone in opposite directions. California implemented a new, statewide mask mandate, while the Colorado governor announced that the COVID-19 mandates are over. California’s mandate comes from Dr. Tomás Aragón, the director of the California Department of Public Health. This is an unelected position given power to issue such edicts due to the state of emergency declared by Governor Gavin Newsom nearly two years ago. California has been in an ongoing state of emergency since, despite vaccines available to all and dramatic drops in infection …  » Read full article