A county in Oregon has reversed part of a policy that exempted non-white people from the requirement of wearing a mask in public under a mandatory directive designed to help prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The reversal follows racist backlash, with officials in Lincoln County saying in a statement that they’ve received “unprecedented” vitriol and “horrifically racist commentary” that has turned a policy they intended as a way to protect into one “that now harms” because of “threats and racist statements.”
The exemption to the policy that was specific to non-whites stated, “people of color who have heightened concerns about racial profiling and harassment due to wearing face coverings in public” did not have to wear a mask, per ABC News.
County officials also revealed they received calls from Black and other non-white people who were concerned about increased discrimination due to the rule.
“The County also received several calls from leadership from our communities of color asking us to revise the policy – it was not providing them protection, but instead making them possible targets for more hate,” it read.
