BUT THE rIGHT ASSURED US THAT HEALTH MEASURES WERE JUST A POWER GRAB:

MONTPELIER -- The Vermont Department of Health will no longer recommend public indoor masking for all Vermonters as of March 14, officials said at a news conference Thursday.

"As our statewide hospitalization rate is low, and hospitals are no longer facing the COVID-related strains of the recent surge, we're ready to plan for the next step," state epidemiologist Dr. Patsy Kelso said.

That includes abandoning mask guidance in all K-12 schools, an expansion of the Feb. 28 guidance that said schools should drop mandates if 80% or more of their students were vaccinated against COVID-19, Education Secretary Dan French said.

The loosening guidance applies to all Vermonters, but Kelso said "the decision to wear masks will be up to each person based on their own circumstances."

Tweet   @brothersjudd