(NORTH CAROLINIANS: Please sign this petition but also call your state senator and representatives, and tell them to extend the legal permission for face masks!)

Members of the North Carolina Legislature,

It was reported that at 2 AM on Friday, June 26th, a provision extending permission for public face mask-wearing beyond the August 1st expiration date was removed from a bill being considered (https://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/article243813917.html). Forbidding masks is dangerous and poses a great threat to North Carolinians during this deadly pandemic. The CDC has established the efficacy of wearing face masks in slowing the spread of COVID-19. Wearing masks and counting upon others to do the same is quite literally a matter of life and death. Legally extending permission to wear face masks is essential for the safety of the population. Even if it were made clear that penalties would not target those wearing protective face coverings, letting the mask provision expire may discourage citizens to wear a face mask, which could lead to countless preventable deaths.

We, your constituents, are calling upon you to extend the formal, legal permission for North Carolinians to wear face masks in public until at least February 1st.