HARTFORD, Conn. — Over 100 protesters rallied outside the Capitol on Saturday in opposition to the requirement that all students wear masks in schools.
Standing along Capitol Avenue, protesters chanted, “No more masks” and held signs reading, “Unmask our kids.”
“We want to see the end of mask mandates for children in Connecticut regardless of vaccination status,” anti-mask activist Jonathan Johnson said. “We need to give parents choices for their children regarding any medical treatments and/or medical devices, including the use of masks or vaccines.”
Anti-mask protests have grown increasingly zealous in recent weeks, with thousands of Connecticut residents joining Facebook groups devoted to the cause and protesters in several towns shutting down local Board of Education meetings. On Thursday, Gov. Ned Lamont was escorted by security from a Cheshire school after a group of parents disrupted a back-to-school event with state officials.
Under an executive order from Lamont, all students are required to wear masks in school through at least Sept. 30.
Public health experts in Connecticut say masks in schools remain necessary given the state’s high level of COVID-19 cases. All eight Connecticut counties have “substantial” or “high” transmission as defined by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, meaning people there are advised to wear masks indoors in public.
“We’re in a phase of the pandemic when we need to use that extra layer of precaution,” Dr. David Banach, an epidemiologist at UConn Health, said Thursday. “And indoor masking is going to be part of that. We still have children who are unvaccinated, and while we’re in high transmission, we need to add on that extra layer of protection.”
A recent Axios/Ipsos Poll poll found that 69% of American adults support mask requirements in schools.
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