Putnam Parents Protest COVID Mandates At Carmel Courthouse

PUTNAM COUNTY, NY — More than 100 people from across Putnam braved Sunday's cold weather to oppose COVID mask and vaccine mandates.

At the rally were parents, kids, public officials, and members of Moms For Liberty-Putnam County.

Organizers said they were standing on the snow-covered steps of the Historic Putnam County Court House to support medical freedom and to oppose legislation that seeks to mandate both masks and the COVID-19 vaccine for school children.

The group is continuing the work it started in 2021. Christopher Harrigan, head of Putnam County-Stop the Mandates, told Patch in December that his group was particularly opposed to bills before state legislators in Albany and had gained support from Putnam lawmakers.

SEE:

• Putnam Lawmaker Opposes Vaccine Mandates: Town Hall
• Putnam Legislature Opposes COVID-19 Vax-or-Test Business Mandate

The parents that gathered represent only a small percentage of those that feel similarly, Harrigan said. They are growing increasingly frustrated by the mandatory mask requirement for students and seek a return to a normal school year.

"Parents in Putnam want the choice in masking for their children, like the parents in 34 other states around the country have," he said.

Another item of concern is NY Assembly Bill A8378, a bill that would require immunization against COVID-19 in order to attend school. Harrigan said many parents have written and called their representatives to express opposition.

"These parents are not alone," he said. "A survey conducted by the Putnam County Department of Health in October of last year found that 52% of respondents stated that they would NOT get their 5- to 11-year-old child the COVID vaccine when it became available."

As of Jan. 31, 25.3 percent of 5- to 11-year-olds in Putnam County had received a complete series of coronavirus vaccination, a rate just under the state average of 28 percent.

Speakers at the rally included Assemblyman Kevin Byrne, who is running for county executive; Putnam County Legislator Toni Addonizio; county Legislator Carl Albano, who is also running for county executive; a politician from Dutchess County, East Fishkill Councilman Anil Beephan; and Dr. Adrienne Fabrizio, a chiropractor and Putnam resident.

Organizers urged more Putnam residents to join them, saying in their news release "For those members of our community that would like to engage our elected leaders on key issues impacting our families and to defend parental rights, please contact Moms For Liberty at putmoms4lib@yahoo.com."

Moms For Liberty is a new national conservative organization. According to USA Today, "The group exploded onto the political scene in Florida, and later around the country, by confronting school officials about issues such as COVID-19 restrictions and how race is taught. It now aims to replace many of these officials."

The Putnam County chapter's chairwoman, Abigail O'Brien of Putnam Valley, says on her LinkedIn page "WE do not co-parent with the Government — Moms for Liberty is dedicated to fighting for the survival of America by unifying, educating & empowering parents to defend their parental rights at all levels of government."

SEE: Putnam Parents Challenge Book On Summer Reading List

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