Grand Canyon Times

Arizona State Sen. Janae Shamp (R-Surprise) warned of “COVID-19 fearmongering” amidst news that some mask mandates are being resurrected in various parts of the country.

"With election season upon us, we're once again witnessing COVID-19 fearmongering from the Left as liberal entities in Georgia, New York and California are now once again overstepping their authority in dictating mask mandates," said Shamp in a press release. "As a registered nurse who has been detrimentally impacted by government infringement not based on scientific evidence, I want you to rest assured that I will fight tooth and nail to make sure you're protected from this gross overreach.” 

“If you want to wear a mask, wear a mask. If you don't want to wear a mask, don't wear one,” said Shamp. “I will work to provide more guidance for you and your family as needed, and I vow to craft more legislation next session that further protects your God-given freedoms."

Shamp is a registered nurse who said she lost her job after refusing to receive the “COVID-19” MRNA injection. 

This week, movie company Lionsgate, announced a mask mandate at its Los Angeles location, and Kaiser Permanente reintroduced a mask mandate at its Santa Rosa, Calif. hospital, reported CBS News.  

Morris Brown College in Atlanta also announced a mask mandate to kick off the school year, and two New York hospitals announced mask mandates this past week. 

Shamp pointed to several Arizona laws enacted in recent years dealing with mask mandates. 

House Bill 2770, signed into law by then-Gov. Doug Ducey (R) in 2021, holds that “notwithstanding any other law, a business in this state is not required to enforce on its patrons a mask mandate that is established by this state, a city, town or county or any other jurisdiction of this state.”

Ducey also signed House Bill 2616 in 2022, which “prohibits the state from requiring a person under 18 years of age to wear a face covering or mask without the express consent of the person’s parent or guardian.” 

Earlier this year, an analysis conducted by the Cochrane Library, questioned the efficacy of mask mandates.

“That review, published by the Cochrane Library, an authoritative collection of scientific databases, analyzed 18 randomized controlled trials that aimed to measure the impact of surgical masks or N95 respirators on the transmission of respiratory viruses,” wrote Jacob Sullum in the Chicago Sun-Times. “It found that wearing a mask in public places “probably makes little or no difference” in the number of infections. 

Author James Lindsay this week called for people to protest mask mandates on First Amendment grounds. 

“College students and others across America should be preparing for mass protest against mask mandates citing a First Amendment right to engage in political speech, which refusing to wear a mask can be construed as in any environment attempting to mandate it,” Lindsay posted on X (formerly known as Twitter), founder of the website, “New Discourses.”