When Gov. Doug Ducey issued Executive Order 2021-06 rescinding all previous coronavirus-related executive orders, he reignited confusion and a furious year-long debate over face coverings.
Almost immediately, residents took to social media to cheer or decry the order, with some claiming businesses can no longer require masks and saying they couldn’t wait to enter their favorite stores with nothing on their faces.
Others said they will continue to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines stating that masking-up, social distancing, keeping your hands away from your face, and hand-washing and sanitizing are the best ways to prevent becoming infected with the virus that causes COVID-19, a respiratory illness that has killed nearly 17,000 Arizonans, more than 550,000 Americans and more than 2.8 million people worldwide in the year since the pandemic was declared.
