Should the City of Maricopa mandate the use of face masks? That is the big question being asked late this week after a press release from the City of Maricopa strongly recommended their use in public places.

Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey’s orders have been met with strong opinions on both sides of the issue, with many thinking it should be mandatory, while others simply refuse to wear them. The people of Maricopa have been stating their viewpoints in the comments section of our Facebook page and voting this week in two poll questions regarding face masks.

As of 4:30 p.m. Friday, 1,431 people answered our latest informal poll, which asked: Should face masks be mandated in Maricopa?

About 56% of voters do not believe that face masks should be required in the city, while about 43% believe they should be. About 1% of voters were on the fence on the topic

In a Facebook post by InMaricopa to promote the poll, the comments section saw some heated debate about the topic.

“Nope! People who have been wearing the masks have been getting sick. Those who wear the masks have created a false sense of security making them more confident in running all over the place and touching everything!” commented Marian Jolene Love. “The masks people are wearing aren’t even effective. It’s pathetic.”

Another Facebook user named Chelsey Crawford had strong feelings in support of mandated masks.

“This is ridiculous. Why can’t you just suck it up and wear a mask? I don’t enjoy wearing them either, but I have family and friends that I’d like to keep in my life, so I make the sacrifice of comfort,” she wrote. “Are you so selfish that you can’t be bothered to protect the human race?”

Other users replied with links to outside sources and YouTube videos as well as memes to get their point across.

In another informal poll published early in the week, readers were asked what they liked the least about wearing masks. Out of 359 votes, more than half agreed that the biggest problem is that masks make it hard to breathe. About 21% of voters stated they had never worn a mask at all.