(LANSING) – Governor Gretchen Whitmer's Executive Order mandating student-athletes wear a mask during sporting events is drawing some criticism.

On Wednesday, Whitmer signed Executive Order 2020-180, which clarifies the rules on face coverings for organized sports during training, practice and competition. It specifies that a face covering must be worn at all times by athletes training for, practicing for, or competing in an organized sport when the athlete can not maintain 6 feet of social distance, except for occasional and fleeting moments.

Athletes are not required to wear a face covering if they are swimming. Athletes competing in football, soccer or volleyball are not able to maintain 6 feet of social distance and therefore would need to wear a facial covering.

Republican State Representative Aaron Miller of Sturgis issued a statement on the Governor's Executive Order. He says requiring masks for competing athletes across the board is senseless, and he would like to know what data Whitmer believes supports the notion that masks are necessary in athletics, especially to protect those competing in sports where athletes are already physically distanced from one another such as golf, tennis or cross country.

Miller says these athletes will not benefit in any way from wearing a mask, given that masks are going to get soaked and become useless. He questions why sports that are played outdoors should require a mask. Miller says kids playing soccer in their neighborhood parks aren't required to wear masks, but students playing in a soccer league having to wear masks doesn't make any sense.

Miller says Michigan schools and their governing bodies for athletics should be allowed to do the commonsense thing and enforce a mask requirement and any other precautions only when it is necessary and logical to keep student-athletes safe. Miller says this mandate, like so many others by Governor Whitmer, is politically motivated and not made in the best interest of Michigan’s young people whatsoever.