Hundreds of protesters gather against new flu vaccine mandate in Massachusetts – By ABC News Staff (MSN) Aug 30 2020
Hundreds of people gathered Sunday to protest a new flu vaccine mandate for Massachusetts students, enacted as school districts prepare to reopen during the coronavirus pandemic.
© Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images People draw a “No Forced Shots” message on the street in chalk during a protest after a mandate requiring all children,age K-12, to receive an influenza (flu) vaccine/shot to attend school in Boston on August 30, 2020.
At the demonstration in front of the Massachusetts State House in Boston, protesters — some of them children — held signs that read “Unavoidably unsafe,” “My child, my choice,” “Parents call the shots” and “I am not a threat.” “No forced shots” was written in chalk in front of the statehouse. Many demonstrators were not wearing masks or social distancing, according to photos and videos taken of the event.
The protest follows an Aug. 19 announcement from state officials that influenza immunization will be required for all children ages 6 months or older who are attending Massachusetts child care, pre-school, kindergarten, and K-12. Full-time undergraduate and graduate students under 30 and all full and part-time health science students attending school in the state must also get the vaccine.
Several protesters said that the flu shot should be a choice — an argument frequently used against mask mandates, including in schools — due to the pandemic.
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