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Covid-19: Students, Parents Hold Anti-Mask Rallies At State Capitol

Students, parents, and anti-mask advocates gathered at the Connecticut state Capitol as part of a pair of rallies held ahead of the start of the 2022 legislative session.

Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford.

Connecticut State Capitol in Hartford.

Photo Credit: Wikipedia Commons/jglazer75

On Wednesday, Feb. 9, the group gathered to express dismay about children being forced to wear masks inside school buildings, citing harm being done to students' mental health.

Instead, the crowd is calling for it to be a personal choice about whether or not a student or staff member has to mask up in Connecticut schools.

The rally comes at the outset of the legislative session, and days after Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont recommended that the mandate in schools be lifted by the end of the month.

According to reports, during the rallies, students discussed how masking up, social distancing, quarantining, and remote learning were sources of distress and concern, despite the fact the Connecticut teachers’ union has expressed support for mask mandates.

“We need to put science at the center of our decision making,” Connecticut Education Association President Kate Dias said. “Allow us to use that as our anchor. Allow us to use it as the constant.

“We didn’t start putting masks on for no reason, we did it because it was determined medically by the CDC, the DPH, to be the right thing to do at that point in the pandemic,” she continued. “We can’t argue with the fact that there’s pandemic fatigue that we’re all experiencing and a desire for this to be over. However, we really do have to continue to follow the science.”

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