In a coordinated effort in three separate communities across Michigan, parents held demonstrations Monday to thank health care workers, and to urge public health officials to mandate masks in schools.
The group is called the Michigan Parent Alliance for Safe Schools and on Monday stood outside of hospitals in Northern Michigan, Detroit and Grand Rapids in what officials called a “display of gratitude for health care workers,” many of whom they say face serious burn out after treating COVID-19 patients for going on 19 months since the pandemic unofficially began back in March of 2020.
Marie Griffioen is with the Michigan Parents Association for Safe Schools.
“These health care workers are experiencing fatigue, compassion fatigue,” she said. “They are worn out and begging or our help.”
The demonstrations did however have an agenda, as the event also called on public health officials for universal masking in all schools to slow the spread of COVID-19.
Last week, a privision written into Michigan’s fiscal budget warned that counties that had mandated masks in schools would lose funding if the order had not been rescinded by October 1st.
While some counties like Allegan, Barry and Eaton did rescind the mask mandate, others like Kent, Wayne and Ottawa did not. Last week, Ottawa issued a statement claiming the provision had no legal authority to withhold funding, and therefore, the county would not unmask students in k-6 grades.
