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Idaho lieutenant governor bans masks while governor away

By The Associated Press

Idaho lieutenant governor bans masks while governor away BOISE, ID - MARCH 06: Idaho Lieutenant Governor Janice McGeachin speaks during a mask burning event at the Idaho Statehouse on March 6, 2021 in Boise, Idaho. Citizens and politicians gathered in at least 20 cities across the state to protest COVID-19 restrictions. (Photo by Nathan Howard/Getty Images) (Nathan Howard/Getty Images/Getty Images)

By The Associated Press

With the governor out of state, Idaho’s lieutenant governor issued an executive order banning masks in schools and public buildings, saying the face-covering directives threatened people’s freedom.

Republican Lt. Gov. Janice McGeachin is acting governor while Gov. Brad Little is at the Republican Governors Association conference in Nashville, Tennessee.

He was expected to return Thursday evening. Last week, McGeachin announced her run for governor, challenging the first-term incumbent Little.

McGeachin is on the far right of the political spectrum in the conservative state, and her order could bolster her support as a candidate for governor.

Little has never issued a statewide mask mandate, but some counties, cities and schools have done so.

©2021 Cox Media Group

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