Flyers about face mask exemptions are fake, officials warn. Few real exceptions exist
Fake face mask exempt cards are circulating across the country as more places require masks during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A warning on the Americans with Disabilities Act website says fraudulent flyers about the use of face masks, which have the U.S Department of Justice seal, are appearing online.
“These postings were not issued by the department and are not endorsed by the department,” the agency says.
Former NSYNC singer Lance Bass tweeted a photo showing one example of a fake face mask exempt card, which he said are “not a thing.”
Along with a seal of the U.S. Department of Justice, there’s an emblem for the Freedom to Breathe Agency (FTBA), which lists a website that doesn’t exist.
“Do not be fooled by the chicanery and misappropriation of the DOJ eagle,” U.S. Attorney of Middle District of North Carolina Matthew G.T. Martin said in a news release. “These cards do not carry the force of law. The ‘Freedom to Breathe Agency,’ or ‘FTBA,’ is not a government agency.”
There’s a Facebook group of the same name with nearly 6,000 members, with a description that states “breathing is a vital biological activity to physical and emotional well being,” and the agency is “designed to stop face mask orders from spreading nationwide and globally.”
People who wear face masks reduce spread of the coronavirus to others, according to the CDC.
Health experts say there aren’t many medical exceptions to wearing a mask.
“There are a few people who are not capable of wearing a mask, but the overwhelming majority of people can wear a mask,” Dr. Charles Lerner, who’s part of the Texas Medical Association’s COVID-19 task force, told KXAN. “Severe respiratory failure would be one of them. People who may have had some facial injuries.”
Oklahoma transplant surgeon Alan Hawxby tweeted about another card circulating online claiming to give the carrier an exemption from wearing a mask.
“I’ve worn a mask several times a week since 1997,” Hawxby tweeted. “No long-term health effects other than I’m grouchier than I used to be, and I’ve gained 10 pounds since then.”
State and local governments often provide exceptions for certain serious medical conditions.
For example, in California, where face masks are required in almost all outdoor and indoor public settings, the state carved out a few medical exceptions.
They include people with a “medical condition for whom wearing a face covering could obstruct breathing or who are unconscious, incapacitated, or otherwise unable to remove a face covering without assistance,” guidelines say. Additionally, people who are hearing impaired or communicating with a hearing impaired person where ability to see mouths is required.
This story was originally published June 25, 2020 at 2:10 PM with the headline "Flyers about face mask exemptions are fake, officials warn. Few real exceptions exist."