© 2024 Boise State Public Radio
NPR in Idaho
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Apple's latest iOS (17.4) is preventing our livestreams from playing. We suggest you download the free Boise State Public Radio app & stream us there while we work to troubleshoot the issue.
Boise State Public Radio News is here to keep you current on the news surrounding COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.

Low Turnout For COVID-19 Skeptic Rally Headlined By Idaho Lieutenant Governor

A rally against pandemic restrictions featuring Idaho’s lieutenant governor drew a sparse crowd of COVID-19 skeptics this weekend in Twin Falls.

 

The event was called Freedom Is The Cure. Of course, there is no cure or vaccine yet for COVID-19. And medical experts agree face masks are a much more effective defense against spreading the virus.

The rally was organized by The John Birch Society, a conspiracy-minded right wing group. There, Idaho Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin continued her open rebellion against Governor Brad Little’s COVID-19 strategy.

 

She criticized Little’s decision early in the pandemic to temporarily close churches to slow the spread of the virus.

 

“Our governor, our attorney general and our Supreme Court, they all have that one wrong,” she told the crowd.

 

Polls have consistently shown Idahoans and Americans overwhelmingly back measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, which could explain the event’s low turnout.

 

Those who did attend the rally took almost no precautions. Almost no one wore masks and many greeted each other with hugs and handshakes, including McGeachin and several other elected officials.

 

Follow Heath Druzin on Twitter @HDruzin for more local news.

Copyright 2020 Boise State Public Radio

Heath Druzin was Boise State Public Radio’s Guns & America fellow from 2018-2020, during which he focused on extremist movements, suicide prevention and gun culture.

You make stories like this possible.

The biggest portion of Boise State Public Radio's funding comes from readers like you who value fact-based journalism and trustworthy information.

Your donation today helps make our local reporting free for our entire community.