Republican politicians in Ohio are burning their masks to celebrate the state ending pandemic restrictions.
“FREEDOM,” declared former state treasurer Josh Mandel on Twitter, accompanied by a video that shows him lighting his mask on fire and then dropping it on the floor.
FREEDOM ?? pic.twitter.com/EfJlH18BqA
— Josh Mandel (@JoshMandelOhio) June 2, 2021
Mandel, who boasts of being the first statewide official to support former President Donald Trump, is also making a run for Senate in 2022.
TRAUMA FOR LIBERALS AS STATES DROP MASK MANDATES
Mandel was joined by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, who posted a video of himself to Twitter taking his mask off before dousing it in lighter fluid and setting it ablaze.
“In honor of the expiring health orders,” Yost said in the post.
In honor of the expiring health orders: pic.twitter.com/BxqkgeH4MA
— Attorney General Dave Yost (@Yost4Ohio) June 2, 2021
The 64-year-old Yost contracted COVID-19 in December, though he did not require hospitalization for the illness.
The videos come as Ohio ended most of its pandemic-related restrictions Wednesday, including the statewide mask mandate for both vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals.
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While the state allows for businesses and schools to set their own rules for masking, most local governments around the state have voted to end their mandates along with the statewide mandate.
The federal mask mandate for airports, airplanes, trains, buses, and rail systems remain in place through September, while the state will continue to require masking in nursing homes and assisted living facilities. The updated order also kept in place provisions for data collection related to the pandemic, including requirements for long-term care facilities and K-12 schools to notify residents and families of positive COVID-19 cases in their facilities.
