Beverly COVID meeting ends in chaos

BEVERLY — An attempt at discussing mask and vaccine mandates ended before it even began Tuesday afternoon, with members of the public taking over and preventing an attempt to call a Beverly Board of Public Health meeting to order.

More than 350 people were in attendance when the board tried holding a virtual meeting over Google Meet at 3 p.m. The agenda called for discussions on mask and vaccine mandates, conversations that have also played out in surrounding communities.

Officials attempted to call the meeting to order but failed to gain control of the online session. Then, after all city officials left the meeting, the session continued uninterrupted for close to an hour, led by a mask mandate opponent who ran a list of speakers based on who’s hands were raised, providing a Lord of the Flies-esque moment for the unusual meeting.

“Once it starts in one place then it’s going to be in another. Then it’s going to be in another, then it’s going to be in another,” Mark Cucinelli said of mask mandates “Next thing you know, it’s the supermarkets. It’s the CVS.”

Read more: https://www.salemnews.com/coronavirus/beverly-covid-meeting-ends-in-chaos/article_24955c58-6818-11ec-9705-b7c1c41f45e0.html