Wearing masks to help curb the spread
of COVID-19 has become controversial for some people. While public health
officials who have been encouraging us to wear masks when we are in confined
places, where it is difficult to stay 6 feet or more apart, they have also pointed
out that people with certain health conditions are exempt from wearing masks.
A group calling itself the “Freedom
to Breath Agency” (FTBA) has been distributing a “Face Mask Exempt Card” that
claims that the bearer is “…exempt from any ordinance requiring face mask usage
in public.” It also claims there are stiff fines for businesses that violate
the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and provides the United States Department
of Justice’s (DOJ) ADA Information Line phone number. The card says,
“Denying access to your business/organization
will be also reported to FTBA for further action.”
The DOJ has issued a press release
warning citizens that it has seen “fraudulent postings, cards, or flyers on the
internet” claiming that forcing people to wear masks is illegal under the ADA. The
DOJ points out that the “Freedom to Breath Agency” is not a government agency
and that the “…card does not carry the force of law.”
The card has spelling errors, such
as “posses” for “poses.” It also misnames the “Americans with Disabilities Act”
the “Americans with Disability Act.” And some versions of the card had the DOJ
emblem on it.
The cards apparently were marketed
online, selling for about $50 for a box of roughly 500 cards.
The FTBA’s Wix website and its
Facebook group page have been taken down.
ABC News has been in contact with FTBA
which defends the cards as “an educational tool.” The group says that it issued
a statement stating that the cards were not issued by the Department of Justice.
In a statement to ABC News, Lenka
Koloma, the group’s founder said,
“It is our focus to educate the
public about the importance of unobstructed oxygen to their overall well-being
and help the community, increase natural immunity without sacrificing their
freedom of responsible choice, their health and the health of others,”
The DOJ, however, “…urges the
public not to rely on the information contained in these postings and flyers
and to visit http://www.ADA.gov for official
information about the Americans with Disabilities Act.”
Comment: The implementation of the
card comes off as a scam to an observer educated in how scammers work. The
effort may be well intentioned but passing off a private group as a federal
agency, using another federal agency’s seal without permission, and trying to
scare businesses with illegitimate claims takes away the legitimacy of the card.
If the backers of this effort were sincere, all they would have to do is to create
materials that state the facts as they see them under their own name. As it is,
this group appears to use the scammer’s tactics of creating a false authority
and using fear to try to intimidate people.
For a more accurate explanation of
face masks and the ADA check out the following links.
Psychology Today:
Snopes:
Washington State Department of
Health:
https://www.coronavirus.wa.gov/information-for/you-and-your-family/face-masks-or-cloth-face-covering
United States Department of
Justice:
CBS News:
ABC News:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/face-mask-exempt-cards-circulating-online-fraudulent-doj/story?id=71507910
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