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US anti-mask protesters have confronted top officials during a back-to-school meeting at an elementary school in Connecticut, forcing the governor out of the building, after he suggested to extend mask-wearing mandate.
A group of parents attending the meeting at the beginning of the school year, started to mob Governor Ned Lamont, after he emerged from the round-table on Wednesday.
Lamont had raised the possibility of extending a school mask mandate past September 30.
Footage from the protest shows people were waving anti-mask signs at the governor, chanting, “You are all criminals.”
“Parents from all political affiliation disapprove of Lamont’s actions to wrest control of their children and their children’s education away from them,” said state GOP chairman Ben Proto.
The governor’s office dismissed the protest as an act of “bullying”.
A campaign known as “Unmask Our Kids Connecticut” denounced the “COVID mandate educator celebration” in a Twitter message, noting that “people need to stand up and speak out.”
The group also said they do not necessarily approve of the parents’ conduct towards the governor.
A recent surge of the COVID-19 cases in the state and around the country have pushed US officials and local governments to mandate masks as well as vaccines in a way they hadn’t earlier in the year.
New York ups COVID death toll by 12k
In New York, the newly sworn-in Governor, Kathy Hochul, released an updated tally, revealing a much higher number of deaths than what was initially reported at the end of the former governor’s administration.
According to new figures, New York’s total COVID-19 deaths was 12,000 cases more than that was reported.
The office of former governor Andrew Cuomo detailed that about 43,400 deaths had been reported across the Empire State. But the updated figures pushed the total to 55,400.
Addressing the differing figures, the new governor said, “The public deserves a clear, honest picture of what’s happening. That’s whether it’s good or bad.”
“There are presumed and confirmed deaths. People should know both,” Hochul said on Tuesday.
“Also, as of yesterday, we’re using CDC numbers, which will be consistent, and so there’s no opportunity for us to mask those numbers, nor do I want to mask those numbers,” she added.
The Cuomo administration came under fire during the height of the pandemic after reports revealed that his office had been manipulating the number of COVID-19-related figures.
Cuomo announced his resignation two weeks ago after an investigation concluded he had sexually harassed at least 11 current and former staffers. Cuomo, however, denied the allegations.
More than 38,780,000 Americans have been infected, and over 642,700 others died from COVID-19 in the United States.
