The Covington Business Council supports Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear’s recent order mandating that Kentuckians wear facial coverings or masks in public in certain situations, effective today. The order, which runs for at least 30 days, was enacted to further stem the increase in Covid-19 cases in our state.

We believe this issue supersedes politics or the personal freedoms we have in this country that generally allows people do as they wish. Like other laws and regulations that are designed to protect the public welfare, this order is another effort by our state to protect the health of others from a pandemic that continues to grow at an alarming pace throughout the country. Face coverings and masks have proven to be effective in limiting the spread of this deadly virus. It certainly beats the alternative of forced closures of businesses and at-home isolation, which would cause further dire consequences to our economy.