Letter to the Editor: Letter about face mask mandate article…

To the Editor,

Regarding August 3, front page article “Fillmore County businesses make a difficult decision in lieu of the July 25 Executive Order 20-81.” The article concerning the face mask mandate is confusing; the reporter and businesses believe they are responsible for policing any patrons that do not wear masks and will be fined for not doing so; actually, the businesses are only responsible for placing a “masks are required” sign in public view. The owners can enforce the mandate or not, and are not responsible for enforcing the mask mandate on their patrons and will not be fined; the business owner is responsible for having all employees wear masks, this is probably enforceable.

All four businesses also voiced disapproval of the idea that the businesses were forced to impose government dictates on customers and employees. Missing from the article was why the government was mandating masks to begin with. It would have been helpful for the reporter to have informed the public that the United States has now reached 154,000 deaths from COVID-19 in just six months; if a national enforced mandate of face masks and social distancing had been issued and had been done four to five months ago, deaths would have been saved and businesses would not be feeling the losses they are now facing. When did concern over individual rights replace the concern for the health of our nation? I am old enough to remember World War II and the government mandating rationing on butter, gas, sugar, and meat in addition to four years of no candy bars, new cars, or household appliances. War was not being fought on our continent, and yet citizens in the United States overwhelmingly accepted what was asked of them and we won the war.

Jack Bratrud

Preston, Minn.