The Governor’s Office from the state of California released a statement about mask wearing highlighting the extreme measures governments are taking allegedly to fight COVID-19.
The statement, released via the governor’s official Twitter account, urges citizens to “keep your mask on in between bites” while dining. The state even had a graphic created to illustrate the point.
California has been one of the stricter states when it comes to mask mandates, with many cities employing fines in order to enforce the state’s orders. Beverly Hills, for example, issues “$100 fine for the first offense, $200 for second, $500 for third and subsequent offenses” of violating the mandate.
The tweet was met with a wide range of reactions. Babylon Bee EIC Kyle Mann said “this would literally increase the number of times you take your mask off, you absolute choadmuffins.”
Another response raised several questions: “Should we wash our hands after touching our mask each time we remove it between bites? What if I’m eating chips and salsa and I go for a double dip? Is that technically two bites since it’s the same chip?”
Some were more blunt than others.
President Biden has increased his mask wearing rhetoric on the campaign trail, suggesting this week that he’d force people to wear masks in “every federal building and facility” as well as during “interstate travel”.
Mask mandates are increasingly becoming a flash point of American division. President Trump has worn a mask “when necessary” according to his remarks during the recent Presidential debate, while Biden has been discussing plans for a national mask mandate.