“This holiday season is a crucial opportunity for businesses, particularly small, family-run businesses, to begin to recover from the economic shutdown of the pandemic. This new mask mandate threatens that opportunity and takes our economy a step backward. I have always believed that any such public health requirements throughout the COVID-19 pandemic should be left up to the localities. Our state is too vast and diverse for a one-size-fits-all approach. This state-wide mask mandate is not necessary, and I do not support it.”