MMAC statement on Milwaukee mask mandate

STATEMENT FROM MMAC:

"We continue to have significant concerns about the mask mandate passed by the Milwaukee Common Council on Tuesday.

This mandate shifts the burden of convincing people to wear masks entirely to businesses and their front-line employees. It requires employees to act as the ‘mask police.’

The mandate also carries the threat of an arbitrary and drastic enforcement provision: the possibility that a business may not have its license renewed based on the individual actions of customers. There are no clear guidelines on what actions would threaten a revocation of a business’s license to operate.

This mandate applies a geographic patchwork approach to regulation with no real effect on stopping the spread of COVID.

​Vaccinations and booster shots are the most effective way to turn COVID-19 from pandemic to endemic. MMAC has been consistently communicating this to its vast membership. Masks (especially those of N95 quality or similar) are part of the protection protocols that can help stop the spread. Many Milwaukee Region employers, public-facing venues and educational institutions have implemented mask requirements. Many individuals embrace personal responsibility and choose to wear masks in public indoor spaces."