Several inches of freshly fallen snow from the day before didn’t discourage a group of roughly 100 people from gathering in front of Gov. Jared Polis’ downtown Boulder condo on Saturday to protest COVID-19 vaccine mandates.
Sloshing through puddles and crunching over ice, ralliers waved signs that read “Unmask the truth,” “Freedom over fear” and “Go truckers” — a nod to truck drivers in Canada blocking roads with their rigs to protest the country’s vaccine mandates, according to national media reports.
Marti Hopper, a Boulder resident who helped lead Saturday’s rally, said the gathering was part of a citizen-formed group called No Vax Mandates Colorado.
“If people choose to get the vaccine, that’s their choice. We want it to be everyone’s choice,” Hopper said. “It’s really about the mandates is what’s important to emphasize. It’s about testing mandates, too. We are directing a lot of this toward Gov. Polis. He has supported mandates for the last year. We would like him to end all the mandates.”
Polis’ office declined to share a response to Saturday’s rally.
This is not the first time in recent months protesters have sought to send the governor a message at his Boulder home. More than 200 gathered in December outside the condo to show their opposition to vaccine passports.
While there are state and federal laws requiring vaccines for certain businesses and individuals, Shawn Hollister, Boulder County Public Health spokesperson, wrote in an email Friday to the Daily Camera that there are no county orders requiring individuals to be vaccinated. The county offers an optional vaccine verification program for businesses, which allows them to be exempt from the mask order if they assure that 95% of their employees, staff and customers are vaccinated.
Hollister said public health officials encourage every resident who is eligible to get vaccinated to talk with their primary care provider about whether the COVID-19 vaccine is right for them.
“The COVID-19 vaccine is safe and highly effective at preventing severe disease, and can protect those around you as well,” Hollister said.
As she stood among protesters, Hopper referenced the requirement that state employees and health care workers be fully vaccinated against the virus. The State Board of Health on Aug. 30 approved an emergency rule requiring vaccination for health care workers, according to the state’s website. Starting Sept. 20, state employees were required to be fully vaccinated or comply with twice-weekly testing for the virus.
The state requirement came just days after President Joe Biden signed an executive order Sept. 9 requiring all federal employees to be vaccinated. The president late last year also announced a requirement for businesses with 100 or more employers to be vaccinated by Jan. 4 and for unvaccinated employees to be tested once a week. Both federal orders are being tested in courts.
Hopper, a retired clinical psychologist and mother, said she hasn’t experienced a work mandate by her employer, but she said she’s seen other impacts on her family. She said one of her family members, who is not vaccinated, was barred from attending a close friend’s funeral service because of their choice not to get vaccinated. The funeral was indoors with an attendance of more than 500 people, so proof of vaccination was required per a state public health mandate.
“It was very upsetting to him,” Hopper said.
Denver resident Laura Lasater said she was there to protest because she thinks “people are not getting informed consent about the vaccines.”
“I think coercive measures are being used to force people to get them, including losing jobs,” Lasater said. “I think we’re in jeopardy of losing our constitutional rights.”
After gathering in front of Polis’ condo, the group marched west along the Pearl Street Mall. As they walked, they chanted: “One, two, three, four, we won’t show papers at the door” — alluding to a COVID-19 vaccine card, which proves vaccination — and “My body, my right. Colorado, stand and fight.”
Some passing by appeared to honk in support. A family started clapping when they saw the group proceed through downtown.
But others shopping and walking along the mall Saturday were clear about their opposition.
“You’re so stupid!” a woman yelled at the group.
Protesters and passersby also traded some profanities with one another and a few middle fingers, too.
After their march, protesters stood at the corner of Canyon Boulevard and Broadway. Protester Jay Wyshack, who said he didn’t notice negative response while marching, was not flummoxed when he heard about opposing reactions to the march.
When asked about how he might respond to concerns that movements like the one Saturday were spreading misinformation, Wyshack said, “Misinformation is what they are calling the truth.”
“You have to figure, how is it that all these people have nothing better to do on a cold day than be out here? The answer is there is no reason why we should be under a tyrannical supposition,” Wyshak said.
In his email to the Daily Camera, Hollister said with the COVID-19 omicron variant’s increased transmissibility, public health officials emphasize the importance for unvaccinated individuals to wear a high-quality mask, like an N95, to avoid large gatherings, wash their hands, and increase airflow and ventilation while indoors.
Boulder County Public Health reported Friday that to date there have been 365 COVID-19 deaths and 59,886 cases of the virus.
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February 13, 2022 at 08:11AM
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Ralliers gather outside Gov. Jared Polis’ Boulder condo to decry vaccine mandates - Boulder Daily Camera
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