JEFFERSON CITY — State Sen. Eric Burlison, R-Battlefield, issued the following statement relating to the letters the Missouri attorney general sent to health authorities and school districts informing them of the recent Cole County Circuit Court decision regarding pandemic-related public health mandates and urging them to stop enforcing any mask mandates, quarantine orders or any other public health rules considered void under the judge’s ruling:
“In the past two years, I have been in communication with the attorney general’s office on the issue of unlawful mandates. My hope was that Missouri would end mask mandates and send a message that Missourians’ rights would not be violated. I was thrilled to see that the attorney general took action and sent a strong message to all political subdivisions in the state. The judge’s ruling made it clear that these entities must cease enforcing any pandemic-related health orders, including mask mandates and quarantine orders. These political subdivisions have operated unchecked for nearly two years since the start of the pandemic and have imposed numerous public health orders, sometimes without providing their legal authority to do so. I echo the attorney general’s statements on the matter and want to emphasize the legal consequences of disobeying this recent court decision. It is finally time to get rid of these unconstitutional mandates and allow Missourians to determine for themselves how they should live their lives.”
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