This is stifling

It was only a week ago half of the people were wearing face masks and half were not. And now the last week on Friday we are mandated to wear one. At the hottest part of summer. If we are in Phase Two they should not be mandatory. How can we move forward if we are in stagnation mode? While others are easing into reopening we are stuck.

We do not want to see our stores and venues close, or be turned away from entering the bank or even the grocery store because we are not wearing a mask and/or gloves. We do not want this to be our new “normal” for us; many people can not wear them.

I’m tired of going into a business looking like a hospital — an endless sea of masks and gloves. This is stifling. Our progress is to move forward. We need to be able to ditch the masks and go back to our way of life. We should have the right to choose. Hopefully this mandate will not be permanent.

I want to be able to walk into a restaurant or store without seeing a mask, or be insisted that I have to wear one. How is that going to benefit the economy? We need to reopen — the sooner the better. Before Washington state and Spokane become ghost towns, much like the East Coast and California have become.

I grew up here and it has changed — and not for the better.

Angela Jensen

Spokane