Alaska state senator who was banned from airline for refusing to wear a mask tests positive for COVID-19

• An Alaska state senator who was banned from Alaska Airlines for not wearing a mask tested positive for COVID-19.
• "It's my turn to battle Covid head on," State Sen. Lora Reinbold announced on her Facebook page Tuesday.

The Alaska GOP lawmaker who was banned from Alaska Airlines for refusing to wear a mask has tested positive for COVID-19.

"It's my turn to battle Covid head on," State Sen. Lora Reinbold wrote on her Facebook page Tuesday.

Reinbold has not been able to fly to Alaska's capital since she was banned from Alaska Airlines for not wearing a mask earlier this year.

She said she was treating her case of COVID-19 with vitamins, a Vicks steamer, and ivermectin, an anti-parasitic drug promoted by anti-vaccine and conspiracy theory communities as a treatment for the disease.

The FDA has warned that ivermectin - which is sometimes used in livestock - hasn't been approved as a safe or effective treatment against COVID-19.

"When I defeat it, I will tell you my recipe," she said. She also promised to stay out of the hospital. "Some of them seem like scary places these days," she added.

Reinbold was banned from Alaska Airlines in April when she refused to comply with their mask mandate. The airline then announced her suspension in the Anchorage Daily News.

"We have notified Senator Lora Reinbold that she is not permitted to fly with us for her continued refusal to comply with employee instruction regarding the current mask policy," said a spokesman for the airline.

The ban came after a video posted to Twitter showing the state senator arguing with Alaska Airlines staff over the mask mandate.

In March, she faced a temporary ban from most Alaska senate buildings for refusing to mask and for not complying with requirements to get a rapid COVID-19 test before entering the building.