A Florida sheriff just defied the Left by banning deputies from wearing face masks while on duty.
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods has decided that his 900 employees will not wear face coverings of any kind during work, under most circumstances.
“We can debate and argue all day of why and why not,” Woods wrote in an email to his staff on Tuesday, according to the Ocala Star-Banner.
“The fact is, the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn’t,” he added. “Since the beginning of this pandemic the operation of this office has not changed and no wearing of masks has been put in place.”
Wood went on to say that “effective immediately, any individual walking in to any one of our lobbies (which includes the main office and all district offices) that is wearing a mask will be asked to remove it… In light of the current events when it comes to the sentiment and/or hatred toward law enforcement in our country today, this is being done to ensure there is clear communication and for identification purposes of any individual walking into a lobby.”
There are, however, a few exceptions to Woods’s ban. Any deputy that is working in schools, the courthouse, the jail, at a hospital, and deputies in contact with a person suspected of having COVID-19 or an individual who is high-risk for contracting it are permitted to wear face masks.
Anyone who refuses to remove their masks when asked to will be asked to leave the premises, according to his order.
Woods concluded his message by saying “this is no longer a debate nor is it up for discussion. Please keep in mind this entire pandemic is fluid and constantly changing the way things are done. However, my orders will be followed or my actions will be swift to address.”
This comes as the mask debate continues to rage on all over the nation. It remains to be seen whether more law enforcement officials will adopt similar face mask bans for their employees.
This piece was written by PoliZette Staff on August 12, 2020. It originally appeared in LifeZette and is used by permission.
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