Out of the blue, St. Louis County has imposed a new mask mandate. Out of the blue and even as COVID rates in the county continue to decline rapidly.
UPATE September 28, 5:34 AM: Page’s Attempted Order Is Illegal #
Attorney General Eric Schmitt and County Councilman Tim Fitch have verified that Sam Page’s mask mandate is illegal under Missouri law, which is why Page provided no enforcement mechanism in the diktat. (Listen to their comments on 97.1 FM here.)
Missouri law prohibits counties from imposing any restrictions on freedom absent an emergency declaration from the governor. There is no state of emergency in Missouri, therefore, Sam Page has no legal authority to impose a mask mandate.
Sadly, large corporations like Schnuck’s Markets lack the legal staff to stay current on Missouri law, and their lawyers don’t expect a County Executive to routinely violate the law by issuing unlawful orders. Too bad.
A St. Louis County Council meeting just happens to be scheduled for tonight at 7:00 PM at the County Government Center in Clayton. Perhaps it’s time for citizens to show up and let the government know what you think of its routine flouting of the law.
St. Louis County residents can submit official statements to the Council here, but nothing is as effective as showing up in person and letting the Council know it’s time to turn the page on Page.
H/T Missouri Precinct Project and Truth Warriors.
The New Decree in St. Louis County #
Today, I was shocked to find a new, printed sign on the door of a local Schnuck’s store:
Face coverings required for all customers and associates entering this store in compliance with state, county, and city ordnances.
I looked on the St. Louis County website and found this:
Face Coverings are required to be properly worn by all individuals ages 5 and older while in indoor and enclosed public buildings and spaces and public transportation vessels in St. Louis County. For purposes of clarity, “indoor and enclosed public buildings and spaces” include all indoor and enclosed spaces other than private dwellings or private transportation vessels. “Face Coverings” for the purpose of Sections II and III of this Order means a device, usually made of cloth, that covers the nose and mouth.
I read the rest of the tortured “public health” decree. It includes a lot of references to cherry-picked and debunked junk science on the effectiveness of masks and the effectiveness of mask mandates.
St. Louis County Ignores the Data #
The draconian decree also flies in the face of the data. St. Louis County reached its peak of the current wave around the first week of September and has been on a steady decline ever since.
Here’s the chart from the New York Times:
Covid Cases in Missouri
The decree states that both the number of cases and the rate of positive tests have increased since June. Another example of cherry-picking data.
Likewise, hospitalizations have declined steadily over the same period, with the 7-day moving average down 14 percent:
Both number of cases and positive test began rising in July and rose steadily until the first week of September, as you can see on the chart. Two weeks ago, St. Louis County was dark purple in the NYTimes county map, but it’s now a rather pale yellow, indicating that cases per 100,000 have fallen dramatically in the last two weeks.
Meanwhile, three weeks ago, the positive test rate was over 11 percent. Today, it’s 8.6 percent. Because a falling positivity rate contradicts Sam Page’s narrative, the County, instead, compares the current, declining rate to the all-time low of 2.9 percent. This called lying with numbers.
Shop in a Free County #
Sorry for the impact on local businesses, but I won’t shop in St. Louis County until this ends. I have a great Save-a-Lot in Pacific (Franklin County), where I can behave like a free adult, not a prisoner in Sam Page’s gulag.
I urge you to do the same. Drive the extra miles. Shop less often. Avoid frivolous purchases. Deny St. Louis County the tax revenue, and give local businesses an incentive to fight County tyranny.
Do Not Comply
The Decree is Unenforceable #
One last note: the face mask mandate carries no penalties for violation:
For clarity, nothing in this Order authorizes criminal penalties or criminal enforcement.
In other words, the whole thing is meant to see who the cowards are among St. Louis County businesses. As usual, Schnuck’s would rather please Sam Page than its customers. Save-a-Lot, here I come.
UPDATE: The Order Is an Attempt to Circumvent Missouri Law #
According to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, this new mandate is an attempt by Sam Page to circumvent his order from July that was blocked by the courts after Missouri AG Eric Schmidt sued the County.
It is intended to effectively replace a July 26 mask mandate tied up in a legal challenge from Schmitt, who won a temporary injunction barring the county from enforcing the mask mandate after the County Council voted 5-2 on July 27 to rescind it.
Councilman Tim Fitch has already determined the order is illegal and should be ignored:
Republicans, including Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt and County Councilman Tim Fitch, quickly claimed the order was issued illegally and encouraged supporters to defy it.
Defy, St. Louis. Defy!