The North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill on Monday that would make future mask mandates illegal.
The Grand Forks Herald reported that bill 50-44 has passed. Then it goes to the Senate.
The bill comes three months after North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum (R) imposed a statewide mask mandate, although the governor himself had previously expressed skepticism about such a move.
The bill’s sponsor, State Representative Jeff Hoverson (R), called mask mandates “ diabolical folly, ” characterizing them as a conspiracy of “ unelected, wealthy bureaucrats robbing our freedoms and perpetuating lies, ” the Herald reported.
The number of COVID-19 cases decreased after Burgum’s mask mandate. The Herald also notes that health experts have attributed the decline to a combination of factors, including restrictions on businesses and increased social detachment.
According to the paper, several GOP supporters of state law said they believe wearing a mask does nothing to slow the spread of COVID-19. Multiple health experts, including the country’s top infectious disease expert, Anthony Fauci
Anthony FauciPublix offers employees who receive the COVID-19 vaccine a gift card from 5 stores on Sunday shows – COVID-19 dominates as grim milestone nears Fauci: 500,000 coronavirus deaths ‘devastating’ MORE, have stated that wearing a mask is essential to overcome the coronavirus pandemic.
The newspaper noted that masks are required in both chambers of the state legislature. However, the rule is not strictly enforced and House Speaker Kim Koppelman notes that the rule could be re-examined in the coming weeks.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released a study showing that wearing a cloth mask over a medical mask can significantly reduce the spread of COVID-19.
According to data from the CDC, North Dakota has confirmed more than 94,000 coronavirus cases and 1,438 deaths since the pandemic began almost a year ago.