State Sen. Elliott on Ivey’s mask mandate: ‘If you know you can’t enforce it, then why issue the order?’

The state of Alabama’s move to mandate mask and facial coverings being worn in public places at the direction of Gov. Kay Ivey and State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris continues to be a hot-button topic in political circles across the state.

Last week, Ivey described the mandate as “an effort to inform people and get people to do something they ought to do,” while downplaying the punitive aspects of disobeying the order.

In an interview with Mobile radio FM Talk 106.5’s “Midday Mobile” on Monday, State Sen. Chris Elliott (R-Daphne), a sometimes outspoken critic of the Ivey administration, questioned the efficacy of the mandate without the enforcement mechanisms.

“Most of the folks I talk to question whether or not the mask is the best thing or not to do,” he said. “There is conflicting science, really, both ways. But I think most people have realized, look – if this might help, I’ll do it. It is inconvenient. I only need to do it when I’m around other folks or can’t socially distance properly. But most folks I see are doing it. I will say that the ones who are thinking about the constitutional implications, etc. are really questioning a mask mandate. I look at mandates like this from the executive and wonder, ‘Look, if you know you can’t enforce it, then why issue the order?'”

“General Stanley McChrystal had a great quote that said never ever issue an order that you know won’t be followed,” Elliott continued. “And that’s exactly what I think has happened here. The governor has stepped out and said, ‘Y’all will do this, and then at the same time in the next sentence said I’m not going to punish you and I’m not encouraging anybody to punish you if you don’t do it. You just have to wonder what the value is in that long term.”

@Jeff_Poor is a graduate of Auburn University and the University of South Alabama, the editor of Breitbart TV, a columnist for Mobile’s Lagniappe Weekly and host of Huntsville’s “The Jeff Poor Show” from 2-5 p.m. on WVNN.