Hundreds of people gathered at the Mandeville lakefront on Saturday night to protest mask and vaccine mandates, and government overreach.
The St. Tammany Parish chapter of Turning Point USA organized the event.
The protests came just days after St. Tammany Parish government officials joined doctors representing area hospitals to plead with residents to get vaccinated and wear masks. The doctors said the parish’s alarming spike in COVID cases is overwhelming the local health care system.
At the two most recent St. Tammany School Board meetings groups of parents criticized school officials for following the state mask mandate in public schools. The School Board, in response, has asked the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to make masks voluntary in St. Tammany schools.
