An Idaho woman said she had no choice but to wear a burka 'like a Muslim' so she could avoid a mask mandate
- An Idaho woman said she had to act as though she had on "a freaking burka" so she could "avoid wearing a mask."
- In a Facebook live stream hosted by the City of Lewiston, Katie Dugger is seen wearing a colorful outfit which she says is the "only way she can avoid wearing a mask."
- Dugger is a student at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) and said she had to take last semester off because of the mask mandate "nonsense."
An anti-masker ranted about the "nonsense" of mask-wearing during a local city council meeting in Idaho.
Katie Dugger is seen at a meeting hosted by the City of Lewiston on January 25 wearing a colorful outfit which she says is the "only way she can avoid wearing a mask."
"You know why I'm wearing this?" Dugger asked city officials, according to video from a Facebook live stream. "I'm wearing this because the only way I could go to school today was because I had to act like I had on a freaking burka like I'm a Muslim."
Dugger is a student at Lewis-Clark State College (LCSC) and said she had to take last semester off because of the mask mandate "nonsense."
Students, faculty, and staff to wear face coverings in campus buildings and classrooms. But, face coverings are not required for those who have medically-based reasons for not wearing them or if people are socially distanced while outside, according to the school's website.
Dugger said she had to wear the Peruvian-made outfit all day to school, and said wearing masks affects her schooling.
In the video, she also said that since childhood it has been "traumatizing for her to wear a mask."
Dugger downplayed some of the COVID-19 protocols put in place in the city such as plastic partitions and signs saying "masks required."
"C'mon, what is this gonna do?" Dugger asks while holding up her scarf. "Do you think the virus is smart enough to say 'Omg, she has on a burka. I'm gonna stop right here and not infect her or anybody else.'"
Lewiston City Council met on January 25 to determine whether or not to extend the city's mask mandate.
Many of the residents who spoke during the meeting did not wear a mask.
Starting Monday, wearing masks on public transportation will be required, according to a new rule by the CDC.
Wearing a mask was introduced back in the early days of the pandemic when there wasn't much evidence on whether masks helped prevent the virus from spreading.