North Dakota Passed a Bill Forbidding Mask Mandates In the States

While other states are encouraging their citizens to strap a bunch more masks to their faces than the one that just supposed to keep you safe in the first place, North Dakota is passing bills that make it illegal to mandate anyone in the state to wear one.

According to the Daily Wire, North Dakota’s House of Representatives passed a bill on Monday by a 50-44 vote that prohibits “state and local officials, schools and businesses from mandating face masks.”

The bill is now on its way to the State Senate.

According to the author of the legislation, Rep. Jeff Hoverson, North Dakota should be just as free as South Dakota, and noted that despite restrictions being lifted by its sister state much earlier, that state is doing much better:

The sponsor of the bill, Republican state Rep. Jeff Hoverson, said North Dakota should be free like South Dakota. The Grand Forks Herald reported in January that both states’ coronavirus case numbers have dropped, while North Dakota imposed a mask mandate and its southern neighbor did not, rather providing information to citizens and allowing them to make the decision themselves. Experts warn against comparing the two states, however, because of their varying tactics.

Hoverson called mask mandates “diabolical silliness” and reportedly discussed government-issued mask mandates as part of a larger conspiracy led by “unelected, wealthy bureaucrats who are robbing our freedoms and perpetuating lies.”

The only lawmaker to voice opposition was Republican state Rep. Jason Dockter who advocated that local authorities, be there private businesses or counties, should be able to practice a mask mandate if they so choose.

It’s becoming increasingly clear that masks don’t actually help contain the virus and that the more draconian the lockdown measures, the more the Coronavirus seems to thrive. A perfect example is seen in how the virus thrives in California where lockdown measures were the most severe, while in Florida where lockdown measures are nil, the virus isn’t as prevalent.

(READ: Graph Showing Difference in Case Rates Between Florida and California Is a Wake-Up Call for America)