A public meeting in Utah about a school mask policy was abruptly suspended when people without masks filled the room.
“This is exactly the opposite of what we should be doing,” Utah County Commissioner Tanner Ainge said from the boardroom stand in Provo, drawing boos from the audience. “We are supposed to physically distance ourselves, wear masks.”
Speaking aloud about the audience’s objections, Ainge continued: “This meeting violates current health recommendations.”
His motion for adjournment was approved in a 2-to-1 vote, with a commissioner who had organized the dissident meeting.
However, many of the approximately 100 people in the audience stayed, and the other two commissioners besides Ainge stayed to hear his concerns about a mandate from Utah Governor Gary Herbert, which required all K-12 students Wear masks at school, NBC affiliated KSL in Salt Lake City reported.
“We are perpetuating a lie,” said a woman who said she has five grandchildren. “COVID is a hoax. Is a lie. It’s a political trick, “reported The Salt Lake Tribune.
A mother suggested that masks lower a person’s oxygen, and a father said that COVID-19 is no different than the flu, according to the Tribune.
Another father of two, ages 10 and 3, said he was concerned that wearing a mask would teach his oldest son to fear the world and that his two sons would not learn proper socialization if their faces were covered, the Tribune reported.
“It is going to reconnect their brains,” said the mother. “Especially I’m not going to send my son back to have his mind broken.”
The commission meeting was called to consider a letter asking the state to allow exemptions to the mandate for students, a proposal Ainge has announced it opposes.
The meeting was held when coronavirus cases are on the rise in Utah, with more than 30,000 registered cases and 230 deaths, according to an NBC News count.
Many at the meeting, in addition to not wearing masks, also ignored the Xs etched on the floor with the intention of serving as guides for social distancing, KSL reported.
A rally before the meeting drew about 150 people and included comments from the commissioner who voted against the closure, Bill Lee, the Tribune reported. He also submitted comments from opponents of the mask.
“The coronavirus is man-made. It is an armed virus, ”said Denna Robertson, one of the rally organizers, according to KSL.
“If I am infected with COVID, it is because I have not been taking care of my immune system. Do you know how your immune system is strengthened? It’s about being on the ground and exposing yourself to bacteria and viruses, ”said Robertson.
Protesters had signs saying “Don’t suffocate children” and “Let children be children.”
Some counter-protesters also showed up, with at least one holding a sign saying: “Wearing a mask is an act of compassion,” according to the KSL report.
