Read on Twitter
Sometimes my state surprises me. I've been thinking about the intersection of mask mandates with racism. Lincoln County, OR took that on: Policy exempts POC concerned about harassment or profiling, says it is "self-executing" with no enforcement authority https://www.koin.com/news/health/coronavirus/lincoln-county-exempts-poc-from-mandatory-mask-policy/
Black, Latinx, and Indigenous communities have been hit much harder by COVID. Putting this in their hands, rather than a policeable mandate, seems like the right call (though that's me outside it, I'd really like to hear what those communities in Lincoln Co. think)
Oregon is a very White state so I'm pleasantly surprised policymakers thought about racism at all. That said, I can imagine unintended effects, like social harassment, so I hope the policymaking is and will (continue to) be community-based to make sure it is working as intended
Update: This excellent thread makes clear that this was done in consultation with community leaders https://twitter.com/ErinEARoss/status/1275853835081261057
