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Wednesday, July 1, 2020

COVID-19- Face Mask Exempt Card?


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:

United States Department of Justice:

CBS News:

ABC News:



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