The Fond du Lac County Sheriff says his office won’t be enforcing the governor’s mask mandate. In a Facebook post, Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt says the Sheriff’s Office does not have the resources or time to respond to complaints about people not wearing masks. Waldschmidt says there are many legitimate reasons that people cannot safely wear masks, among other concerns he has with the order. Waldschmidt is asking residents to not contact the Fond du Lac County Communications Center to report people not wearing masks. He says dispatchers are very busy handling urgent law enforcement, EMS, and fire related calls. Waldschmidt says he does ask that everyone respect each other’s individual decision whether or not to wear a mask, “make your own decision to wear or not wear a mask based on personal health concerns and concerns for others around you, and respect all private businesses that require masks on their property.” Private businesses do reserve the right to uphold the mandate on their property. “We recognize that Covid-19 is a legitimate public health concern, but I respect your individual freedom to decide how you protect yourself,” Waldschmidt said. “As with any virus, we encourage you to stay home if ill, cover your coughs and sneezes, distance yourself from others around you in public, wash your hands often, and wear a mask when you deem appropriate or when on the private property of others who are asking you wear a mask.”
