Utah public hearing on schools dismissed after
angry parents pack room without masks
Some parents objected to school kids wearing masks.
ByIvan
Pereira
16 July
2020, 23:11
https://abcnews.go.com/US/utah-public-hearing-schools-dismissed-angry-parents-pack/story?id=71825487
Utah hearing on masks canceled as residents without
masks fill the room
Utah
hearing on masks canceled as residents without masks fill the room
The county
commissioner shut down the meeting before it could start, looking out at the
packed room and saying, "This is the exact opposite of what we need to be
doing."
Tensions
flared at a public hearing in Utah over the state's mask mandate for
schoolchildren after several parents defied orders by packing the room without
face coverings.
The
parents, some of whom carried signs condemning face masks, failed to sit in the
marked seats and booed at the Utah County officials Wednesday night. The
hearing was held over a letter by Utah County Commissioner Bill Lee, which
asked Gov. Gary Herbert to waive his requirement kindergarten to 12th grade
students wear a mask when schools reopen.
Utah County
Commissioner Tanner Ainge has opposed the letter citing safety for the students
and admonished the crowd for blatantly putting everyone in the hearing room at
risk by not wearing masks or socially distancing.
"This
is the exact opposite of what we need to be doing," Ainge told the crowd
before he was booed.
The
hearing, held in Provo, Utah, was postponed by a 2-1 vote, which triggered more
boos and angry calls from the mask mandate's opponents.
Rick
Egan/APAngry residents react when the Utah County Commission meeting was
adjourned before it even started, July 15, 2020, in Provo, Utah. The group
protesting against face mask requirements in... moreAngry residents react when
the Utah County Commission meeting was adjourned before it even started, July
15, 2020, in Provo, Utah. The group protesting against face mask requirements in
schools removed social distancing tape on the chairs and filled the Utah County
Commission room to over flowing. As a result, Commissioner Tanner Ainge to call
for a vote to adjourn the meeting.
Rick
Egan/AP
Herbert has
called for schools to reopen in the fall, with local districts providing
specific guidelines -- including blended learning models. He issued a mandate
earlier this month requiring kids and teachers to wear a mask while at school.
Utah has
seen a jump in coronavirus cases over the last few weeks, with 21,639 new cases
reported since June 1, according to the state's health department. The state
saw an average of 481 cases a day during that period, with some days seeing a
record number of new cases. On July 9, 868 Utah residents contracted COVID-19,
according to the health department.
As of July
16, there have been 234 deaths in the state due to the virus, the health
department said.
Despite the
rise in cases, some parents questioned the need for masks for their kids.
"I
think it's totally wrong. I think it's a political hoax, and I am against
masks," Denna Robertson told Salt Lake City ABC affiliate KTVX.
Rick
Egan/APCommissioner Bill Lee speaks during a rally protesting face masks being
required in schools, before the Utah County Commission meeting in Provo, Utah,
July 15, 2020.Commissioner Bill Lee speaks during a rally protesting face masks
being required in schools, before the Utah County Commission meeting in Provo,
Utah, July 15, 2020.
Rick
Egan/AP
Lee, who
joined some of the opponents in a protest outside the meeting, said the state
should have had more communication with communities before the mandate.
"There's
not enough that we understand. They're sitting there going, 'Wait a second.
Wait a second, we should have more discussion,'" he told KTVX.
Some
teachers and parents at the meeting, however, argued that the risks are too
hard to ignore and that masks are needed to stop the spread of the virus.
"Since
when do we have a constitutional right to put other lives in danger? We can't
smoke in public places, because it puts other people's lives in danger,"
Tina Cannon, a former teacher, asked one of the opponents during the hearing,
according to KTVX.
Another
teacher, who carried a sign that encouraged mask wearing, engaged with the
dissenters.
"All
I'm saying is, I'm trying to save my grandma's life, and I'm a teacher,"
he said.
Studies
have shown that wearing a face covering greatly reduces the amount of
transmission of COVID-19 in places where social distancing cannot be
maintained. Herbert signed an executive order on July 10 that mandated face
coverings for anyone entering a state property.
Sem comentários:
Enviar um comentário