You've made some interesting points. I've always thought mask mandates must be as local a decision as possible. A state mandate assumes that all areas of the state face the identical pandemic risk assessment. The Athens, GA local government thinks it's necessary, and I assume, maybe wrongly, that they have analyzed local COVID infection and hospitalization rates. If the local government has spotted a disturbing trend in infection, hospitalization or mortality rates, then they would be the ideal organization to make that call, whether people obey or not. To your point about many people disregarding the mask mandate, people jaywalk all the time, but laws have not changed to make jaywalking legal. Further, mask wearing should also be a decision based on others in your community, not just a legal decision but a moral one. I'm sure that there are people in the area that suffer from serious health conditions, and a COVID infection could surely be life-threatening. I think we should consider the health of others and wear a mask around at-risk people. Furthermore, I wear a mask around my 91-year-old mother-in-law because she's 91 and has health issues. Last week, I witnessed a man enter an oncology treatment center with a woman who was being treated with radiation for cancer. There were other patients in the waiting room. The man complained loudly about having to wear a mask, repeatedly stating that mask mandates had been lifted in our area. What I found incredibly selfish and short-sighted about this man was that, surrounded by cancer patients possibly fighting for their lives, he found it too onerous to put on a mask for maybe an hour. Regardless of the local law, it was the right thing to do for others. Just like with vaccines, mask wearing is about the "We" not just the "Me."