By Andrew Oxford | Arizona Republic
The state House of Representatives voted Wednesday to let businesses ignore local mask requirements that several cities and towns have embraced amid a pandemic that has killed more than 16,000 people in Arizona.
The proposal’s sponsor said House Bill 2770 would merely give businesses a choice of whether to enforce the public health measures and give consumers a choice of whether to patronize businesses that do so.
“It’s about the individual rights of these business owners as Americans,” said state Rep. Joseph Chaplik, R-Scottsdale.
But Democrats said the bill was plainly dangerous as the number of new cases and deaths decline but remain above the levels seen over the summer.
