Minn. health official hyped masks for kids to parents, but sounded a different note behind closed doors

A top Minnesota public health official told parents that masking their children is a “best practice” for mitigating the spread of COVID-19, but he appeared to contradict himself behind closed doors, reportedly telling staff that masking is among the “least effective” mitigation technique.

Bloomington Public Health Administrator Nick Kelley advises the Bloomington, Edina, and Richfield school districts on COVID-19 policies, which includes recommendations for the universal masking of students and school staff.

In August, he told parents during a “Return to School” webinar that in addition to getting their kids vaccinated, making them wear masks in the classroom is the next best practice for mitigating the spread of the virus.

One month later, Kelley was heard telling Bloomington Public Health staff that masking is among the “least effective” mitigation techniques, Minnesota think tank American Experiment revealed, citing a recording of Kelley’s remarks

“In terms of purely broad effectiveness, the least effective mitigation we’re implementing in this process is masking,” Kelley said in a recording of the closed-door meeting on Sept. 3, obtained by the conservative think tank. “Masking, the quality of the consistency of the fit, all those things are highly variable in a population setting.” – READ MORE