'Unmasked' rally defies school virus rule, Pritzker critique

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Just weeks away from the ringing of the schoolhouse bell, scores of people rallied at the state Capitol Saturday against the state's requirement that schoolchildren must wear face coverings this fall to discourage transmission of the highly contagious and potentially deadly coronavirus.

In a state where the numbers of cases of COVID-19 are rising, if not as quickly as they are surging in several other states, the protestors took aim at Gov. J.B. Pritzker's broadside this week that people who forego face coverings are “the enemy.”

“I don’t think all this pressure needs to be put on the kids,” said Adam Dunn of Decatur, whose kids are out of school. “They need freedom to go play, have a childhood.”

The “Million Unmasked March,” which took its name from the social-justice march a quarter-century ago, drew about 250 people, including a stalwart group of counter-demonstrators who periodically let loose their own shouted protests from across the street.

Read more: https://thesouthern.com/news/state-and-regional/unmasked-rally-defies-school-virus-rule-pritzker-critique/article_42389850-0930-5fcb-b3af-575b2e55e231.html