Carencro, LA city councilmember Karen Guidry has repeatedly refused to wear a mask at city council meetings, in spite of a state mandate requiring them. Carencro’s city hall rules also require masks.
At a recent council meeting, Carencro city manager Don Chauvin confronted Guidry about her refusal, saying “I think that it’s disrespectful, and a little dangerous that you don’t feel the need to wear a mask. Ten days after the last time, when you sat there, you coughed repeatedly, and nine to ten days later, the mayor had COVID.” Carencro Mayor Glenn Brasseaux sits next to councilmember Guidry at council meetings and was initially admitted to the ICU after being diagnosed with COVID-19. He has since improved but remains hospitalized.
On a video posted to Twitter by CBS News anchor David Begnaud, Guidry responds to Chauvin by asking, “Are you accusing me of having COVID, and that I transferred it to Glenn?”
Watch: In Carencro, LA., a city councilwoman refused to wear a mask at the last 3 council meetings despite city hall requiring it. The city manager confronted her. She said it was a personal decision, then, maskless, got in his face. Ps: The city’s mayor is hospitalized w/ COVID pic.twitter.com/kL4zZmUGSQ
— David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) December 23, 2020
“What I’m saying is, there is a policy in City Hall, there are big signs out front, all of the attendees here are wearing a mask, the public on a daily basis wears a mask to come in here, and we’ll have them forcibly removed if we have to so that they don’t endanger the staff. I’m asking that you wear a mask,” Chauvin replies.
“That is a personal decision that I made, and I don’t have to answer to you, Donny,” Guidry can be heard replying.
According to the Louisiana Department of Health, there were 2,976 new cases of COVID-19 reported in Lafayette Parish on Wednesday, with 68 new deaths. The parish currently has 1,675 patients hospitalized, with 196 of those on ventilators. The parish is listed as being in the highest risk category for COVID-19 transmission.
