Pueblo parents hold protest over county-wide school mask mandate
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Hundreds of Pueblo parents and community members gathered outside the Pueblo Department of Health and Environment building Tuesday to protest a mask mandate in schools.
Friday, the PCDPHE issued a Public Health Order requiring all individuals ages two and up to wear facial coverings while inside at all grade schools, childcare centers, and youth camps in Pueblo County. That mandate went into effect Monday.
While the protest was going on outside, inside the building, Pueblo Health Director Randy Evetts was answering questions from the media about the installation of the mask mandate.
Evetts said the mandate is a response to the rising number of COVID-19 hospitalizations and breakthrough infections in Pueblo. He explained hospitalizations have quadrupled at Parkview Medical Hospital within the last four weeks.
"By masking, we reduce the risk that kids will have to be quarantined. We don't eliminate it. Nothing is a hundred percent, but it does help to keep our kids in school," Evetts said.
He said the decision to implement a mask mandate was not an easy one, and he knew there would be push back from some people in the community.
"We expected that there was going to be push back. Nobody likes these things," Evetts said. "We understand that, and we don't like putting them in place, but it's something that we felt like we had to do for the communities health and for public health."
Despite the explanation, protestors expressed their frustration with the Heath Department.
"This is ridiculous to ask our children to wear masks," said Lucille Corsentino. "Freedom of choice folks freedom of choice. This is still America, stand up for what you believe in."
Many say the decision to wear masks should be left up to parents, not health officials.
"I think it should be voluntary. If someone wants their child to wear a mask in school that's fine, but don't force it on people that don't want it or feel differently about it," Kent Gennetta said.
Amongst the crowd, some children were present and arguing against the mask mandate. One of those was Ryan Robinson.
"No masks in this world, because we don't really need them. It's not helping anyways," said Robinson.
District 60 and District 70 officials told KRDO they plan to cooperate with the Health Department's order in all of their schools.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, masks help protect those around you, and it does offer some protection to the person wearing the mask.
Tuesday, the state's epidemiologist said data shows children between six and 17 have the highest transmission rate of any other group in Colorado.
