I would say that identity/security is the reason most people are made to take off masks, like NYC mayor Eric Adams has told small businesses to do. As a bank, they have a right to ask me to identify myself for their security or whatever. However, they were unwilling to work with me on this whatsoever.

I would actually feel way safer doffing my mask in a properly ventilated setting, where there is far less risk. So the drive through interactive teller machine would have been the place I would have been fine with taking it off for a second to identify myself, because it's outside with nobody around in a fairly windy area. But that is the option they provide for people who don't want to take off their mask. It's not very logical.

If they had wanted to identify me they could have me like take off my mask outside and look at me through the window or something, it would not be hard to accommodate me and let me take it off in a ventilated place where it's safe is really the deal.

Instead of working with me on it they just went straight to lying to me telling me that unmasking had always been their policy and that they applied it equally to everyone. I hadn't been asked to take it off before, and I hadn't been asked by the same person when they helped me before.

They didn't notify me of this policy change in any way. The same hoods and sunglasses sign telling people to remove those items that had always been on the door was on the door, and I had always been happy to comply and take off my sunglasses or hood or both, not my mask, and they were always fine with that in the past.

The sign on the exterior facade telling people to remove hoods and sunglasses says nothing about masks. If they have that as a policy then they need to not be cowards about it and ban masks with their chest. They need to say it on the door just like it says hoods and sunglasses. The sign doesn't identify any other type of apparel, just those two. That's what I want them to do, if they are going to take this stance then they need to take it publicly and loudly. This is a very anti-mask place. I'm sure most of the local community would support them on it, and they probably won't even lose much business. But they need to say it openly, that's what I want from them. Make it crystal clear that they are engaged in #discrimination against the members of their credit union based on #health status and being #immuncompromised with #ChronicFatigue caused by #LongCOVID. If they will add to their signs that customers must remove their masks in the underventilated indoor setting of the bank branch interior in order to be served, I would be satisfied, because at least nobody else would have to go through the same refusal of service I experienced for trying to protect myself against #COVID19.

Megan Doherty, an artist with #ME, has won a grant to do a photo project about lack of indoor #masking is pushing #immuncompromised people out of society and public life.

https://archive.is/C93XA

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