Provo • As she walked up to the podium to speak, one of the moms held up her face mask and spit her gum out into it. “It’s garbage,” she shrugged, wadding it up. “It doesn’t work anyway. Not for me and not for my kids.”
A dad who spoke after her said he, too, doesn’t think masks are effective, and said he’s pulling his kids out of school this fall if the state doesn’t lift its mandate requiring all K-12 students to wear a face covering. Another mother carried her 4-year-old son in her arms, noting there’s no way he would keep one on in his kindergarten class — but she thinks they’re stupid anyway, regardless of age.
Parent after parent followed at a Utah County Commission meeting Wednesday afternoon, objecting for more than two hours to having their kids in masks even as counts of the virus continue to climb here and across the state, where there are more than 30,000 confirmed cases.
They packed into the small boardroom to talk, pulling tape off the seats meant to maintain social distancing and crowding in against the walls. They wore “Trump 2020” hats and carried little American flags, and every time someone said “freedom” or “constitutional rights,” the whole room cheered. Almost no one wore a mask.
“This mandate for the children to wear masks is baloney,” said Cynthia Harding, a Provo resident. “We have the right to make our own choices.”
Gov. Gary Herbert had issued the edict last week for masks to be required in schools after he earlier ordered them all to open this fall. The move was largely met with applause from teachers and parents who say they feel it will keep those inside schools safe and slow the spread of the virus. But some are now starting to protest.
On Wednesday, more than 150 residents joined a rally organized by Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee before the commission meeting. The Republican leader has called for a “compassionate exemption” from the mask requirement for the thousands of students in Alpine, Provo and Nebo School Districts in the county, where parents could choose whether their children wear a covering or not.
“I don’t like government mandates,” Lee said.
When he first walked out from the Provo courthouse, he had a light blue face covering on, saying it was required of him. Those in the crowd chanted, “Take the mask off!” And he did.
Ddemonstrators carried posters that read, “Don’t smother the children” and “Let kids be kids. No masks!” A few younger kids sat in strollers, adding to their parents’ cheers. Most clung to the small bits of shade on the sweltering day, but the heat didn’t deter them.
When a few counter-protesters showed up, with one man holding a sign that argued, “Wearing a mask is an act of compassion,” the group yelled and screamed.
“It’s an act of submission,” they said. “Jesus gives us a choice,” they added. “And mandates are against freedom.”
“You guys are at the wrong rally,” they shouted.
One mom and dad brought their two kids to challenge the anti-mask crowd, and a woman shouted: “Get that mask off that poor little boy.” Carrie Hall put her arm around her son to defend him.
“If we want this pandemic to go away, then we need to embrace masks,” she said. “We feel like wearing a mask is not only to protect ourselves but others.”
Her seventh-grader added, “I’d rather wear a tiny piece of cloth than spread COVID.”
Inside, tensions rose even more. When the meeting started, Commissioner Tanner Ainge declared he wouldn’t support so many people in the boardroom not social distancing. He made a motion to adjourn and hear the proposal from Lee another day in a bigger space. The board’s third member, Nathan Ivie, voted in favor and Lee against. After the 2-1 decision, Ainge walked out.
“This is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing,” Ainge said, noting he’s written a letter supporting the governor’s mandate. “We should be physically distancing and wearing masks. This room is not complying with those health guidelines.”
A torrent of boos followed, with shouts of “Down with Tanner Ainge and “He’s trying to silence us.” One teacher said, “Our classrooms are fuller than this.”
After he left, Lee and Ivie agreed to listen to the residents voice their thoughts. They did not have quorum to take any vote. Still, more than 30 people lined up to talk.
The Salt Lake Tribune will update this developing story.
from The Salt Lake Tribune https://www.sltrib.com/news/education/2020/07/15/packed-meeting-utah/
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