MOB RULE

COVID-19 Deniers Surround Idaho Official’s Home to Force Cancellation of Virtual Health Board Meeting

The official’s son was home alone.

An Idaho public health agency was forced to cancel its virtual meeting Tuesday after COVID deniers menaced multiple board members in their homes. The Central District Health Board of Health had gathered online to vote on what measures to put in place against the rapid spread of COVID-19 in Boise and elsewhere in the state, but it was forced to adjourn after anti-mask protesters gathered outside the houses of Commissioner Diana Lachiondo and board member Dr. Ted Epperly. Lachiondo’s son was home alone when the demonstrators arrived, and the health board head was seen tearing up on the videoconference call, according to the Idaho Statesman. She left the meeting to go to her son. Epperly was home when the protesters arrived, and he said they flashed strobe lights through his window, banged garbage cans, and knocked on his door. Idaho has struggled in recent weeks with a sharp spike in COVID-19 cases, as has the rest of the United States. Some counties in the state have rescinded health measures even as hospitals reach capacity. The nation’s total case count passed 15 million Tuesday, adding a million cases in just five days.