Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Labor and Industry
 
Board
Safety and Health Codes Board
 
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6/19/20  10:25 am
Commenter: Victoria L

No Masks - Unconstitutional
 

Any extension of the Executive Order to require mask-wearing is unconstitutional. The constitution protects our rights as Virginians and as U.S. citizens to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

The general public of Virginia - 99.983% of Virginians - are not losing their lives due to COVID-19, and the hypothesized danger of the virus continues to decline. (Current COVID confirmed deaths in Virginia as of 6/19/20 are 1,499, and our state population is around 8.5 million, which means mortality of the Virginian population due to COVID is microscopic: 0.017% [0.00017]). However, 100% of Virginians have had their constitutional rights unlawfully suppressed by our governor and by his Executive Order enforcing the wearing of masks (along with many other bans on gatherings, etc.) under the guise of concern for the health of the general public. This Executive Order does not "promote the general welfare" as our government is required to do according to the constitution. The numbers speak for themselves: the general public - 99.983% - are not at risk of losing their lives, yet the tyranny is suggested to continue. 

The Executive Order is unconstitutional in the following ways:

Life - This order has been a threat to the livelihood of Virginians. With many employers mandating that their employees wear masks to maintain their jobs, this Executive Order forces Virginians to have to choose between life and livelihood (employment) and their constitutional rights to live freely without our state government tyrannically regulating how they must manage their own health. Virginians are being enslaved under this order by a nanny state who does not deem its citizens able to manage their own lives and health and whose rights are being stripped away in order to stay employed and live. 

Liberty - This order has infringed upon Virginians' liberties to conduct daily interactions necessary to live, work, conduct business, feed and clothe themselves, and interact publicly. Every day, free Virginian citizens are being denied entry or harassed while trying to enter grocery stores, clothing stores, restaurants, and a multitude of other establishments for refusing to wear a mask, which is completely within their constitutional rights to do. 

Pursuit of happiness - This order has wrecked the happiness of Virginians who, though constitutionally free to take personal responsibility of their own lives and health, have been shamed, bullied, and oppressed into compliance with an unconstitutional Executive Order. Enter any grocery store or place of business, and it is evident how this order has assassinated face-to-face human interaction behind masked visage. Isolation and fear are the result of both this order and the refusal of our state leaders to communicate true statistics such as recovery and asymptomatic rates which would give its citizens hope and happiness.

In conclusion, any further attempt to restrict the liberties of Virginians on the grounds of protecting public health and welfare are simply a smokescreen to enforce undue hardships on Virginians. They will not be tolerated by its citizens, for whom the Governor and our state government function as our public servants, though they forget their status.

CommentID: 80715