First, I appreciate the effort to make workplaces safe. I do think that the agency is doing what it thinks is in the best interest of its constituents. But, this rule reaches too far. The government needs to refrain from encroaching on freedoms that are unrelated to significantly combating something that has not been substantially studied, analyzed and peer-reviewed. This rule is a knee jerk reaction to a situation that the state government is wholly unqualified to command in such a short time. In fact, the longer this COVID 19 virus has been in the U.S. the less dangerous it appears.

Please don't waste Virginian's taxpayer money on fashioning rules that have not been substantially studied, vetted and analyzed over an appreciable length of time, and by many experts beyond those in the government in Va. The cost to taxpayers and business taxpayers of such an over-inclusive rule is to further deteriorate business in Virginia. This cost does not justify the results. I think that the "rules" proposed need to be completely re-written and permit less restrictions, but perhaps more incentive for voluntary compliance. Businesses are diverse, patrons are diverse, and COVID isn't as virulant or contagious as the the rule assumes to sustain its reasonableness. Isn't the idea to raise revenue from thriving businesses? Your own government jobs may be in peril if you succeed to raise unemployment and impair businesses in Va. You won't have the tax revenue to sustain your own jobs.

Bottom line, study, analyze, peer-review, assess, collaborate over time to come up with workable non-restrictive solutions involving strong incentives to encourage voluntarily compliance.

Respectfully, No More Masks, Please