The overwhelming majority of the Greensboro City Council has pledged support for mandating that masks be worn in Greensboro.
The legal issues would have to be worked out, but eight of nine members of the City Council said they supported requiring that masks be worn in the City of Greensboro. Councilmember Justin Outling didn’t pledge to support a requirement that people in Greensboro wear mask, but he didn’t speak against the proposal either.
At the end of the Tuesday, April 21 virtual City Council meeting, when it was time for comments from the city councilmembers, once she got her microphone turned on, City Councilmember Yvonne Johnson said, “Can you hear me? One of the things I’d like for us to consider is a mandate to wear masks. We need to think about mandating the wearing of masks. We would certainly have to purchase masks for those who don’t have them or can’t afford them.”
Mayor Nancy Vaughan said, “I agree with you.” She also noted that both Winston-Salem and Durham were requiring people to wear masks.
Vaughan also said that she thought Guilford County allowing the countywide stay-at-home order to expire had been a mistake and gave people the impression that the crisis was over.
Councilmembers Goldie Wells, Michelle Kennedy, Marikay Abuzuaiter, Tammi Thurm, Sharon Hightower and Nancy Hoffmann all said they supported the city mandating that people wear masks.
Hightower said, “I support her in making these masks mandatory. Since the county did not extend that order. People are not social distancing at all. People are even out walking in the park.”
Vaughan said, “I’m very concerned of the mixed message that was sent by allowing the county order to expire.” Vaughan was also critical of the News & Record coverage of allowing the Guilford County stay-at-home order to expire and said that it gave the wrong impression.
Outling noted that while the Guilford County order had expired, Greensboro and the entire state of North Carolina was still under Gov. Roy Cooper’s executive stay-at-home order. And he noted that according to that order people were supposed to stay at home unless they had essential purpose to be out.
Johnson also offered this piece of advice to those that have problems with others keeping their social distance. She said, “I keep a can of Lysol in my car and, if somebody gets to close, I spray them with Lysol. I did it. I actually did it.”
Sounds like Yvonne Johnson should be charged with assault. She openly admitted to using a deadly chemical on someone, much more of a mortality rate than Coronavirus.
She should have had them changed for not keeping their distance. If they happened to have COVID-19, they could have infected her, possibly costing her, her life.
Now I can spray Johnson with bug spray. I think that would be far more effective than Lysol in keeping someone away, although neither would have any real effect. Big Sister is here, too.
Is the city council prepared to send face masks to the citizens of G’boro????
Apparently. Or at least to their favored POC.
Mandatory masks should not be considered by the City Council. Not sure where they get their information about Guilford County and Winston-Salem, but as usual they pick and chose what they state as gospel. I will leave the city and not return if masks become mandatory. This is still the United States, not China or Russia. Get a grip people. If you are going to mask up for this, you better mask up for flu, colds, etc. Sure will make it easier for people to rob and murder others while wearing the masks!
Great comment. It seems totally unnecessary considering they should have done this 4 weeks ago when this was really ramping up, instead of now when it’s beginning to fade. This is totally a political move on their part.
Sounds quite officious. It may be a good idea to wear a mask, but this is going too far. Of you are not wearing a mask will the GPD arrest you or forcibly put a mask on your face? Would I be required to wear on when I walk my dog in the park? Or will this be one of those regulations on the books that doesn’t get enforced. Some studies suggest that getting outdoors in sunshine is an effective way to ward off the virus. Should people be denied this benefit if they practice so ial distancing, but don’t wear a mask?
Not only will GPD arrest you if you’re not wearing a mask but you shouldn’t be allowed to walk your dog in the park according to Hightower (“People are even out walking in the park.”)
It seems to me that spraying someone with Lysol is assault. She is bloody lucky she hasn’t heard from that person’s lawyer yet. Mandating that people wear masks is also one of those “feel good” moments when confronted with a need to feel useful and in control of something you really have only limited control over. I am fearful that the sheep are allowing the wolves into the pen too much.
I totally agree. If I had sprinkled her with fairy dust she would have had me in jail within 5 minutes.
Is this for real? Am I going to get a citation if I do not wear a mask? As usual, we are going to give mandate something and then give it away to those who claim they cannot afford to buy the masks. Where does it end? I for one will be the first not to wear a mask in public and sue the city if cited. Do we not have attorneys willing to step up and tell these idiots on this council what they can and cannot impose on the public?
I would love it if a lawyer who knows Constitutional law would do a few lawsuits about the stay at home mandates and the other ones like wearing a mask, not being in parks and closing businesses. It would be a joyous thing. The more we give our freedom away for security the faster we lose both.
Under what authority can the mayor or city council force all citizens to wear a mask?
Some citizens will wear a simple bandanna, others surgical masks, others N95 masks.
This is ridiculous !
Here is what my personal research on face masks turned up:
https://hubpages.com/health/COVID-19-Face-Mask-Protection-What-Leaders-Fail-to-Understand
Yvonne Johnson might want a briefing from the city attorney about whether spraying someone with Lysol is assault. Can you spray someone with Right Guard if they stink? If their hair is unruly, can you spray them with hair spray? Just another reason not to shop in Greensboro.
That IS assault.
“It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its labeling…. PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS: Hazards to humans and domestic animals… US Federal regulations This product is a “Hazardous Chemical” as defined by the OSHA Hazard Communication
Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200. Product Registration: Registered with EPA, EPA Reg. No. 777-99-675”
“Section 311 hazardous chemical: Yes” http://www.rbnainfo.com/MSDS/US/LYSOL-IC-Disinfectant-Spray-US-English.pdf
So Councilmember Johnson is assaulting people with Lysol huh? LMAO! If she sprays me with it I’m filing charges against her.
This whole fiasco has become almost too ridiculous to even acknowledge anymore. How about we as citizens mandate that our elected officials obey the oath they swore to uphold the Constitution and Bill of Rights? If they fail to do so then we should immediately remove them from office. They are increasingly overstepping the limits and using this virus as a springboard to circumvent the Constitution and our basic rights.
Greensboro is slowly becoming the San Francisco of the East coast.
If ‘saving lives’ is truly their agenda then how about mandating everyone walk to work as traffic fatalities kill far more people than Covid ever will. Or how about outlawing all medications that can potentially be toxic. I mean if just one life can be saved it’s worth it right?
Or how about mandating that no one under the age of 35 can have a phone on while driving as young texting drivers kill thousands every year.
Or maybe mandate that my tax dollars will no longer be used to murder children in Gov. sponsored abortion clinics? Funny how they’re not worried about the 10s of thousands of living human fetuses that are butchered every year.
I could probably come up with hundreds of examples of things in our everyday lives that are far more dangerous and lethal than any flu ever will be, but that wouldn’t further their agenda would it?
“Greensboro is slowly becoming the San Francisco of the East coast.” Da! As an original San Franciscan I love your comment! I love SF and CA but the people there are nuts and I’m so glad I moved here 41 years ago with memories of a beautiful place to live with great people. GSO is trying really hard to follow SF/CA and has already ruined all that’s lovely about this area. I have told my husband, a native of Guilford County, that he’s lucky I came here 41 years ago because if I came now I wouldn’t stay, as I can have traffic, trash, stupid politics in CA while enjoying the perks of the great weather and scenery!
This area will never be the more conservative, Republican, reasonable, and free place it was in 1978, and we’ll never see any conservative majority in political offices again, especially after the redistricting of Dist. 6. Times are different and people aren’t into personal responsibility, accepting consequences for their behavior, real equality or freedom. They have given up their rights for free stuff from EVERYONE, and actually believe it’s free!
It’s still not 100% proven that mask do all that much good; especially since most people use them incorrectly; not to mention many just throw them on the ground!!!!
City Council reminds me of the busybodies that populate HOAs. Rules for the sake of making themselves look important. After being told we didn’t need masks, no, maybe we did, how about a scarf, now everybody needs a mask, cloth is not effective/is effective…these experts know nothing or they are liars or it’s a mix. Wash your hands and live your life. #reopenNC
Hurrah! There’s so much we don’t know about the virus and how to stop the spread. We cannot become a middle eastern society where we all cover our faces all the time. They are doing this because there’s an election in November and are hoping that making “important” pronouncements will buy votes.
Did we really elect these control phreaks to lord it over us and tell us what we can’t do and what we must do? May the Almighty Maker of Heaven and earth have mercy on us!
How about requiring that people pull up their pants??
Beards prevent masks from sealing properly. Will bearded men, or people identifying as men with beards, be forced to shave their beards to meet the mandates necessary to venture into the public domain? Just curious.
Hope Greensboro has tons of money for attorney fees and lawsuits, UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION !!!! THIS IS NOT CHINA, YET
Guilford County and Greensboro do not need their own rules regarding COVID-19. “Vaughan also said that she thought Guilford County allowing the countywide stay-at-home order to expire had been a mistake and gave people the impression that the crisis was over”, shows how stupid they think we are in not understanding there’s a STATE ORDER regarding the stay at home rules, distancing, closure of businesses, et.al. The fact that the last 6 weeks have been a constant barrage of conflicting orders, rules, requirements, actions proves how stupid they all are. It’s much more meaningful to have ONE government agency set the rules instead of hearing conflicting ones several times a day from government agencies that are trying to one-up each other in order to be important but are willing to pass the buck on anything that costs them money thinking we’re too dumb to know it all comes from the same pocket, taxpayers. This whole situation has been convoluted and confusing from the start and there’s no excuse for any government agency not to have been prepared after the BILLIONS we spent after Sept. 11th on crisis management and emergency response.
Sweden took a different approach from most of the US. They went no “lock-down”, few wore face mask. Stockholm
is close to achieving “herd immunity.” Antibody studies from the US, Norway, Finland and Germany demonstrate that Covid-19 is no more deadly than the annual flu. Are our medical experts and politicians asleep? Can they do math? Are they capable of critical thinking? Are they wise?
It’s been 20 years since I’ve seen this country respond in such an irrational way; to what turned out to be an erroneous course of action built upon false information/assumptions, presented by “experts.” 80 percent of the nation supported it at the time; but how many today would raise their hand in support of invading Iraq? How forgiving do any of us believe the American people will be, once they realize “the experts” “media” “well-intended local politicians, unnecessarily destroyed their lives and the economy. Over something no more deadly than the common flu?
Excellent Points!
“People are not social distancing at all” ……YES WE ARE! Pay better attention!
Well, Greensboro, You get what you vote for. You need to clean house and get people in with some common sense.
If PPE is in short supply why would we waste more on having individuals use them when they are outside? This is a reckless waste of resources. These “leaders” are making judgements based on everything but science. There is NO SCIENCE to base this off of. If it makes you feel safer to wear a mask then do so. There is no authority of Greensboro City Council to mandate ANYTHING let alone the wearing of anything. So please do what you feel is right. Base your decisions on science not fear. My choice is not to wear a mask and no councilperson can make that choice for me. If a private business requires that then I will not go there.
This woman was given half a million dollars to “cure the violence” and she is causing the violence and getting away with it. She should be fired from the “cure the violence” program and must return the money immediately!!! ANE she needs to be arrest and put in jail for the crime of assault. Oh, but she is black and the law doesn’t apply to her.
“It is a violation of Federal law to use this product in a manner inconsistent with its
labeling.” http://www.rbnainfo.com/MSDS/US/LYSOL-IC-Disinfectant-Spray-US-English.pdf
“PRECAUTIONARY STATEMENTS: Hazards to humans and domestic animals” (page 1)
“US Federal regulations This product is a “Hazardous Chemical” as defined by the OSHA Hazard Communication
Standard, 29 CFR 1910.1200. Product Registration: Registered with EPA, EPA Reg. No. 777-99-675”
“Section 311 hazardous chemical: Yes”
(page 7)
Yvonne Johnson is lawbreaking and therefore in no position to be lawmaking.
I am an American Citizen!! This is STILL a FREE country!! It’s MY decision if I want to wear a mask and I don’t!! I won’t either!! And Yvonne Johnson, I can only hope that your priviledged ignorant butt sprays me with Lysol in public! Just because you are a councilman does NOT give you the authority to assault citizens!! You WILL be charged with assault and attempted murder!!
This virus has led to our idiotic leaders attempting to control our lives for us. They want us to blindly follow their rules. I’m not! They actually do not have the authority to pass this. They don’t have the authority to tell us what to wear or how to dress. This is a FREE country! We have rights according to the Constitution!! We can NOT let them take those rights or we will NEVER get them back!!
Won’t be voting for Nancy Vaughan! And will not be wearing a mask!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It should be a mandate for the elderly and not healthy people!!! Not for the healthy!!! Something that is just a little worse than the flu And Needs herd immunity to eradicate it!!!!